Posted by: Matei Nicolae

Much like the music industry, the movie business has experienced significant growing pains in recent years as producers and consumers alike adjust to an environment in which films are as likely to be watched on a smartphone as in a theater and Captain Phillips is only the tip of the iceberg as far as piracy is concerned. The optimal word, however, is “growing.” The $38.3 billion in global box office sales recorded in 2015 represents a 5% year-over-year increase, according to the Motion Picture Association of America, while sales in the U.S. and Canada ($11.1) rose 8%. In fact, 69% of the combined populations of the U.S. and Canada (235.3 million people) went to the movies at least once last year.

At least some of this recent success can be ascribed to movie blogs. No, not the kind of movie websites where you can watch shaky recordings of popular flicks and probably download a virus or two in the process. We’re talking about the types of blogs that help you decide what to pay to see and what to skip, those that provide engaging commentary and those offering an inside look at the business of the big screen. Such blogs provide organic marketing for films and give consumers the confidence to spend their precious funds and free time on movies.

But which movie blog is best? Well, WalletHub’s editors whittled down the field from a list of roughly 80 entrants to the following 20 finalists based on aesthetics, content and overall popularity. But the rest is up to you. Find your favorite movie site, submit your vote and tell us why you’re a fan in the Comments section.

Voting will begin at 12 pm ET on Wednesday, Jan. 18 and will run through Wednesday, Feb. 1. You may submit one vote per blog per day. If you would like to share information about the contest on social media, please follow WalletHub on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ and use: #WalletHubBestBlogs.

  var postId = 31256 Voting will start on Jan 18 1. Cinema Blend CINEMABLEND is one of the web’s most popular entertainment sites. Reporting on movies, television, video games, and pop culture CINEMABLEND is the go-to source for today’s plugged-in generation. Our engaging content is read by 24 million unique visitors connecting with more than 60 million pages a month. Founded in 2003, CINEMABLEND is owned and operated by Gateway Media, based in St. Louis, MO with outposts in New York and Los Angeles. Every week our talented team of expert writers, editors, and trend-setters researches hundreds of news stories, editorials, and reviews obsessing over all the things influencers care about most in entertainment. CINEMABLEND is the first place everyone goes to discover new movies, games and television shows; and its the only place to catch up on the pop culture you're already excited about.… show moreshow less http://ift.tt/IVtfgR 2. JoBlo

JoBlo.com is an all-encompassing movie fansite featuring daily news updates, thousands of reviews, trailers, as well a full-blown network of movie sites including Arrow in the Head, MovieHotties.com and Movie Fan Central.

http://www.joblo.com/ 3. Ain't It Cool News

Harry Knowles provides movie, television, and comic news. Includes reviews, chat, and a forum.

http://ift.tt/PWppUY 4. SlashFilm Peter Sciretta created /Film after a stint writing full time for the AOL-owned movie blog Cinematical. On August 23rd 2005, the site launched with a posting by Zach Lawrence, chronicling his Top 10 Movies of All Time. Within the first month, we had built up a team of over 20 bloggers from around the United States. Within the first year of the site, we made many contextual format changes. For a very short time we began to concentrate more on celebrity news than movie/film topics. But in the end we found our place, concentrating on the geek/genre centric side of the movie universe. We also came to the conclusion that a blog needed to be more personable and opinionated. People don’t need another movie news site with 20 writers in this long-tailed world. So by year two, we had downsized the staff to a select group of four or five people. /Film Editor Peter Sciretta became the main source of news and opinion to give the blog it’s much needed structure. The idea was/is that /Film would be a blog with a personal point of view on the cutting edge of breaking news. Soon after, our community began to grow. /Film has earned the movie industry’s respect. We’re on the junket list for most of the major movie studios, regularly attend advance press screenings and visit movie sets.… show moreshow less http://ift.tt/hpkaID 5. IndieWire Since launching on July 15, 1996, IndieWire has grown into the leading news, information and networking site for independent-minded filmmakers, the industry and moviegoers alike. Originally conceived as an online forum and newsletter for filmmakers and festivals, IndieWire has grown over the last two decades into a preeminent source for film and television news, reviews, interviews, global festival coverage and more. Our mission has always been to create a platform to deliver news, information and other resources to creators and movie lovers, while facilitating a greater appreciation of independent filmmaking to the masses.… show moreshow less http://ift.tt/JqQroz 6. Fandango Come see why Fandango is the go-to destination for more than 36 million moviegoers each month. Fandango helps movie fans discover, buy tickets and share their passion for movies in a more engaging and interactive way. Fandango entertains, informs and guides film fans with must-see trailers and movie clips, exclusive and original content, insider news and expert commentary. We make it easy to find and buy the right movie at the right time, with showtimes and ticketing to more than 26,000 screens nationwide. Fandango is available online, and through our award-winning mobile and connected television apps with over 46 million downloads and counting.… show moreshow less http://ift.tt/zIm9OP 7. PopMatters PopMatters is an international magazine of cultural criticism and analysis, which has been independently owned and operated since its inception. Our scope is broadly cast on all things pop culture and we are the largest site that bridges academic and popular writing in the world. We provide intelligent reviews, engaging interviews, and in-depth essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, sports, theatre, the visual arts, travel, and the Internet. Since 1999, PopMatters has been providing smart readers with sharp, entertaining writing on a wide range of topics in pop culture, offering a refuge from the usual hype and gossip.… show moreshow less http://ift.tt/nlkI7U 8. The Dissolve

A playground for movie-lovers. Films both new and old dissected in obsessive detail.

http://ift.tt/1322Oik 9. FirstShowing.net There are the people who make movies and there are the those who see them. FirstShowing is bringing these two together in a profound new approach that will change the way you experience movies. We provide the latest movie news, movie trailers, movie reviews, interviews, opinions, hype and buzz, and everything else related to the cinematic experience straight from Hollywood and beyond. FirstShowing is both a web-based destination providing complete media coverage of mainstream and independent movies, the latest on the moviegoing experience, and the connection between Hollywood and the audience; and a location-based organization that strives to make the experience at theaters more exciting, enjoyable, and interactive than ever before. FirstShowing is at its heart a creative collaboration of individuals who are above all dedicated and passionate towards movies and the incomparable theatrical experience.… show moreshow less http://ift.tt/g0Io3r 10. Dread Central

Dread Central is the premier website for breaking news, original content and active community in the world of horror, covering movies, DVDs, games, collectibles, live events and music. If it's got something to do with the dark and horrific, you'll find it on Dread Central.

http://ift.tt/ksbaVb 11. Bloody-Disgusting The most trafficked horror site on the web, Bloody Disgusting features horror movie, music, video game, dvd, indie, and comic news along with reviews, interviews, and a community of over 200,000 users. Bloody Disgusting Selects is the production and distribution arm of Bloody Disgusting. Partnering with AMC Theaters and The Collective, we bring independent horror film to screens throughout the united states and on video on demand worldwide.… show moreshow less http://ift.tt/RxGngi 12. Roger Ebert Welcome to the new RogerEbert.com, the world’s preeminent destination for movie criticism, commentary and community. It is with a mix of great sadness and genuine excitement that we bring you this new site, the product of a two-year collaboration between Ebert Digital, run by Roger Ebert, Chaz Ebert and Josh Golden, and web development partner Table XI. Roger was an innovator in so many ways. From democratizing movie criticism and bringing it to a more mainstream audience, to publishing his reviews to Compuserve at the dawn of the Internet, Roger was always pushing the envelope. It was a great challenge to develop a product that would meet his exacting standards, but he loved the site when he last saw it, and we’ll do our best to continue to develop something he’d be proud of. Over the coming months, we’ll add content and features to the site, including an enhanced version of Roger’s fan club, the Ebert Club, integrated mobile apps, and broader inclusion of video on the site. In the meantime, we hope you’ll enjoy this collection of more than four decades’ worth of content written by Roger and his handpicked team of collaborators, searchable and explorable like never before.… show moreshow less http://ift.tt/14q2qf3 13. Den of Geek Den Of Geek is dedicated to serving the interests of today’s entertainment enthusiast. Reaching over 6 million unique users every month, our readers are core fans and casual viewers, male and female, 18 to 49 in the US, UK, and around the world. Our audience is passionate about their entertainment choices and highly influential amongst family and friends. Den Of Geek creates opportunities to connect with audiences on a deeper level; reaching and recruiting millions of engaged influencers by blending breaking news and the latest reviews with in-depth feature stories to provide the best coverage of movies, TV, games, comics, and culture.… show moreshow less http://ift.tt/23NyYtK 14. ComingSoon.net

The latest movie and TV news, reviews, game updates, and Digital HD and Blu-ray announcements.

http://ift.tt/i1D8en 15. Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes® and the Tomatometer® rating is the most trusted measurement of quality entertainment. As the leading online aggregator of movie and TV show reviews from professional critics, Rotten Tomatoes offers the most comprehensive guide to what's fresh. The world famous Tomatometer rating represents the percentage of positive professional reviews for films and TV shows and is used by millions every day, to help with their entertainment viewing decisions. Rotten Tomatoes designates the best reviewed movies and TV shows as Certified Fresh™. That accolade is awarded with Tomatometer ratings of 75% and higher, and a required minimum number of reviews. Weekly Rotten Tomatoes podcasts can be found on RottenTomatoes.com, iTunes, Soundcloud and Stitcher, and Rotten Tomatoes' entertainment experts make regular TV and radio appearances across the US. In 2016, Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes became part of Fandango's portfolio of digital properties, serving moviegoers and entertainment fans.… show moreshow less http://ift.tt/144fmCg 16. IMDB

IMDb - The most comprehensive and authoritative source of information on movies, TV and celebrities.

http://www.imdb.com/ 17. Metacritic It began as a simple idea back in the summer of 1999: a single score could summarize the many entertainment reviews available for a movie or a video game. Metacritic's three founding members—all former attorneys who were happy to find a more constructive but less profitable use of their time—launched the site in January 2001 and Metacritic has evolved over the last decade to reflect their experience distilling many critics' voices into the single Metascore, a weighted average of the most respected critics writing reviews online and in print. Metacritic's mission is to help consumers make an informed decision about how to spend their time and money on entertainment. We believe that multiple opinions are better than one, user voices can be as important as critics, and opinions must be scored to be easy to use.… show moreshow less http://ift.tt/naoo4w 18. Screen Rant Screen Rant had a humble start back in 2003 and, in the years since, has grown into one of the largest and most-respected entertainment news sources in the world - serving over 105 million readers in 2015 alone. We don't just report news, we editorialize it with unique insight that engages everyone from casual entertainment lovers to hardcore movie buffs. With television, film, and video game news, reviews, and a YouTube channel with over 2 million subscribers, Screen Rant is the ultimate geek entertainment destination.… show moreshow less http://screenrant.com/ 19. Hollywood Reporter

The Hollywood Reporter (THR) is the premier destination and most widely trusted resource for breaking entertainment news, movie and tv reviews, movie trailers, tv clips, and analysis.

http://ift.tt/ganqAE 20. Movie Tickets

MovieTickets.com is a worldwide leader in advance movie ticketing and a top destination for news, celebrity interviews, movie reviews and trailers. MovieTickets.com offers moviegoers a quick and convenient way to purchase tickets online, via mobile device and at 877-789-MOVIE; along with enhanced services including print-at-home ticketing and much more.

http://ift.tt/z2toL2   You can use the Best Movie Blogs badges found below to indicate that you're participating in the contest.

Best Movie Blogs Badge 300x300	Best Movie Blogs Badge 200x200

Embed on your website<a href="http://ift.tt/2jgtN6G; <img src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/posts/31266/best-movie-sites-300.jpg" width="" height="" alt="Best Movie Websites 300x300" /> </a> <div style="width:px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2itwOni;

Embed on your website<a href="http://ift.tt/2jgtN6G; <img src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/posts/31265/best-movie-sites-200.jpg" width="" height="" alt="Best Movie Websites 200x200" /> </a> <div style="width:px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2itwOni;

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