Letterboxd, the Goodreads of film, continues to grow as people flock to write one-sentence reviews of "Mean Girls" and "The Iron Claw." The app combines social media and movies, allowing users to keep a diary of their film consumption and interact with other users.
Users can create lists and leave reviews of films they've seen, which in turn are seen by followers and other users. This allows people to connect over films, which they can rate on a five-star system. Movies can also be added to a watch list to track films users would like to see or to themed lists grouping similar films.
The site claims it will always remain free for users, although some features – such as filtering by streaming service or personal statistic pages – are exclusive to paying members. Users can also "log" films and add them to their diaries, creating a history of movies watched.
Letterboxd co-founder Matthew Buchanan lays out the site's roots in a Quora post linked to the popular site. The site debuted in October 2011 after years of Buchanan mulling over what he would like to see in a film-related network, settling on a journal aspect, creation and sharing of lists and the ability to share reviews with followers.
According to The New York Times, the site has over 10 million active users as of last September, a significant increase from its roughly 1.8 million in March 2020 and its initial audience of just Buchanan's friends and family.
Buchanan founded the site alongside fellow New Zealander Karl von Randow, and the pair sold a majority stake to a public company called Tiny from Victoria, British Columbia. According to the Times, the deal valued Letterboxed at over $50 million.
The name stems from the term "letterboxing," which refers to adding cinematic bars to make footage fit a commonly used ratio without altering the footage's width or height. The pair chose the term due to their love for widescreen.
Ohio University had 430 Media Arts and Studies majors and 129 Visual Communications majors as of Fall Semester 2022. Although not all of those students focus on film or adjacent concepts, there is an undergraduate audience of film and media enthusiasts so strong they choose to pursue a college major in that subject. Letterboxd appeals not just to die-hard film fanatics, however.
Letterboxd's charm stems from its diversion from typical film reviews, which often feel like being pretentious is a requirement of the genre. Letterboxd is far from scarf-toting film bros who desperately want to tell you their take on "Dead Poets Society." Although there is space for traditional critiques, far more common are comical, one-sentence reviews that may provide more insight than a lengthy or scholarly review.
Only on Letterboxd would a review for "Shrek 2" read: "It took me 16 years to finally give this movie the five-star rating it unironically deserves. Every scene is great. Every joke lands. It's emotionally moving. It's incredibly exciting. It's a f— miracle of a movie, I cannot stress that enough."
Only on Letterboxd would that review saddle up next to this take on "Citizen Kane:" "i mean ... it wasn't as good as shrek 2 (2004) but it was ok."
The comic takes of Letterboxd users offer filmmakers new insight into what consumers want or like from a movie. For example, user Kylo's perspective on the beloved and disturbing "Saltburn" reads, "I would say this is a rational reaction to Jacob Elordi's presence." While this could be considered a throwaway comment, it lets those who worked on the movie know that the audience enjoyed Jacob Elordi's performance and his work as an actor.
"The Wolf of Wall Street" director Martin Scorsese joined Letterboxd on Oct. 26, 2023, with a release of 59 movies he recommends watching. Inevitably, fellow directors, producers and stars of Hollywood will notice popular Letterboxd reviews, even the ridiculous ones.
Letterboxd connects everyone from cinephiles to the occasional viewer and provides a space to share critiques, comments and silly feedback. Keep an eye on this platform; it's films' biggest non-box office hit.
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