What decides how "good" a movie is? "Rotten Tomatoes" editors break it down

With the Academy Awards on Sunday, buzz over who was – and wasn't – nominated is in full swing. Warner Bros. and DC Films' "The Joker" is the most-recognized film at Sunday evening's Academy Awards and has earned over a billion dollars worldwide.

Despite its uncontested success, the film is the lowest-rated best picture nominee with just a 68% "fresh" rating on "Rotten Tomatoes."

But what decides how "good" a movie is? Editors of the popular movie review site decided to examine some of the most beloved films throughout history, and the disagreements between critics and audiences that surrounded their release.

"Films connect with us in a way that is extraordinarily and deeply personal," "Rotten Tomatoes" editor-in-chief Joel Meares said. "I do think the conversation between what people initially think of a film and what critics initially think of a film – what time does to the appreciation and story of a film – is all fascinating."

The Motion Picture Academy adds another layer of complexity to deciding a film's merits, despite both being separate from global audiences.

"I mean, from a very basic level, critics are a different body than the people who vote for the Academy Awards," Meares told CBS News' Jamie Wax. Meares explained the Academy that hands out Oscars is made up of people who work on films themselves.

"There's a different kind of audience there, which I do thing oftentimes doesn't always see eye to eye. If you think about last year, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was a film that was nominated for best film at the Academy Awards, but was not a film that was universally embraced by critics." Today, the film still has a lackluster "Rotten Tomatoes" rating of 61%.

Meares and "Rotten Tomatoes" editor Jacqueline Coley teamed up to pay tribute to films that were regarded as critical failures upon release but have stood the test of time in their new book, "Rotten Movies We Love."

Coley said that the aim of the book "was really to sort of look at films that had a rotten review. Maybe it was cult classics. Maybe they were movies from our childhood that weren't necessarily received right by adult critics."

 The book includes how 1986's Academy Award best picture winner "Out of Africa" is spoken of with reverence today, but was not loved by critics during its release, reflected by its 58% rating.

"People were in love with that film's performances, but at the time they found it to be boring, which I can't understand. I find it to be a really powerful film," Coley explained.

Powerful films, despite critical and awards season failure, can often have staying power with audiences. "Saving Private Ryan" lost to "Shakespeare in Love," for example, but that did little to affect the former's place as a revered wartime film.

Coley and Meares predict that no matter what happens at the 2020 Oscars ceremony, people will continue to debate the winners and losers for a long time to come.