While the Metascore was 48, the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes was 98% (verified) and CinemaScore gave it an “A.” This gap is crucial. Critics saw a commercial; audiences saw an aspirational underdog story with incredible sound design. Gran Turismo was engineered for fan service, not awards bait, and its Metascore reflects that deliberate trade-off.
This dichotomy is precisely why the film worked for audiences. A score in the high 40s or low 50s on Metacritic signals to the general public: "This is competent entertainment." It is not asking the viewer to engage with high-concept philosophy, nor is it insulting their intelligence with incompetence. For a movie based on a racing simulator—a concept that inherently invites skepticism—a "fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes (73%) and a middling Metacritic score acted as a seal of quality assurance. It told the audience: "The driving is good." gran turismo 2023 budget gross metacritic score