Letterboxd (/ˈlɛtərbɒkst/ LET-ər-bokst) is an online social cataloging service for film founded and (partially with investment company Tiny since 2023) owned by Matthew Buchanan and Karl von Randow in 2011 with a headquarters in New Zealand.

[3][4] The name "Letterboxd" is an allusion to letterboxing, the practice of placing black bars on the edges of a screen to preserve a movie's original aspect ratio.

[5] Buchanan and von Randow launched an invitation-only beta version on 24 April 2012[6][7] and opened the site to the general public on 8 February 2013.

[9] In May 2017 (six years after launch), Letterboxd users collectively logged their 100 millionth film; they reached the 1 billion mark on 19 July 2022.

"[17] Once movie theaters reopened, arthouse and classic film organizations like the American Cinematheque reported that Letterboxd helped drive younger filmgoers to visit their programs.

[18] Six films have held the title of highest-rated narrative feature on Letterboxd: The Godfather, Parasite, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Come and See, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Harakiri.

[22] The New York Times noted that "[w]hat rises to the top of the site’s page for most popular reviews ranges wildly: "There are obscure memes, diaristic essays and sprawling screeds packed with pseudo-academic jargon," but added that "the lack of rules or structure can also lead to some interesting, unconventional criticism, and offers a platform to voices that might otherwise not be heard.

Conversely, it has been criticized for gamifying the act of watching films and boosting sardonic one-line reviews over more in-depth assessments.

[29] Several filmmakers and actors actively use Letterboxd, such as: In addition, filmmakers like Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola,[50] Michael Mann,[51] and Rian Johnson,[52][53] as well as fictional film character Paddington Bear,[54] have created Letterboxd profiles in order to post their lists of recommended films.

[60] In December 2023, Letterboxd partnered with the aggregator Assemble to launch a feature identifying showtimes and links to ticketing websites for movies that were currently in theaters.

[66] In September 2020, Letterboxd announced a new "HQ" membership type for film-related organizations, such as movie theaters, studios, festivals, and podcasts.