Letterboxd launched in 2011 as a movie review and rating app inspired by Goodreads. Founders Karl von Randow and Matt Buchanan balanced the project with work at a web design studio until the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated growth. In March 2020, they hired their first full-time employee, and home confinement drove a surge in users. In 2023, the company was acquired by Tiny and reached over 26 million user profiles. The platform emphasizes film as a cultural conversation, attracting both fans and prominent filmmakers and performers. Users select four favorite films, and celebrity participation often increases attention, sometimes functioning as publicity during major releases.
"In 2011, Karl von Randow and Matt Buchanan, two tech-loving New Zealand film buffs, launched Letterboxd, a movie review and rating app inspired by Goodreads, the platform that does the same for books. For several years, they juggled this small project with their work at a web design studio. Then came the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020, they hired their first full-time employee, and with the world confined to their homes, their user base exploded."
"While this figure seems insignificant compared to companies like Instagram (with around three billion active users), it reflects the cultural power of film as a source of conversation. Those who love movies enjoy watching them as much as discussing and analyzing them in detail, and Letterboxd is aimed at that community including famous filmmakers and performers. Figures like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola who didn't hesitate to give his film Megalopolis the maximum five stars have long been part of the app."
"As an introduction, each user chooses their four favorite films of all time, valuable information that generates great interest when that choice comes from someone famous. Singer Charli XCX (a relative newcomer to the film world), actor Kyle MacLachlan, and comedian Rachel Sennott (whose favorite films include Pedro Almodovar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) have also contributed to Letterboxd's lists. In fact, the platform has become the new online place to be and celebrity names appear week after week among those wanting to be part of the phenomenon."
"However, in many cases, it's more of a publicity strategy than genuine interest. For example, actress Anne Hathaway publicly shared her profile right in the middle of promoting The Devil Wears Prada 2. Charli XCX used the platform to unveil the songs on her soundtrack for the latest adaptation of Wuthering Heights, directed by Emerald Fe"
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