Key Difference: IMDb, which stands for Internet Movie Database, is an online database for all things movie. It contains any and all information related to films, television programs, web series, and video games. Rotten Tomatoes, on the other hand, styles itself as a film review aggregator. Basically, a film review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of films.

Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb are two different websites that are dedicated to movies and films. However, the two are not exactly the same. Even though they are quite similar, their primary focus is what differentiates the two.

As its name suggests, IMDb, which stands for Internet Movie Database, is an online database for all things movie. It contains any and all information related to films, television programs, web series, and video games. This includes information regarding cast, production crew, fictional characters, biographies, plot summaries, trivia and reviews.

Rotten Tomatoes, on the other hand, styles itself as a film review aggregator. Basically, a film review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of films. It has now also expanded to include TV content, as well as web content, such as web series. The site works by assigning a number on a scale to the work in question. The others can then see an average rating for the work, in order to decide whether to see it. The name of the website comes from the practice of audiences throwing rotten tomatoes at a stage production if it is disappointing.

However, today the IMDb also includes reviews of movies and other content; but this content is reviewed by regular users, whereas movies on Rotten Tomatoes are reviewed by critics and professionals, which is why at times the ratings of the two sites can differ greatly. In addition, both websites also include news about movie and TV content, as well as stills and photos of celebrities. Nevertheless, Rotten Tomatoes tends to stick principally to Hollywood movies, whereas IMDb tends to incorporate content from all around the world.

Despite this, both sites are primarily used for their original purpose. IMDb has become the industry standard resource and definitive reference for who-what-where-when information on movie production and personnel. Whereas, Rotten Tomatoes is still primarily a review aggregator.

Comparison between Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb:

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