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The information in the database is not updated in real time. Additions and updates to existing data on average take two to four weeks to appear online, but may take substantially longer in some cases, depending on a variety of factors. Please also be aware that the IMDb reserves the right to reject or delete information from the site at any time at its sole discretion. The following information only applies to filmography updates (i.e. film credits). Other types of data may require additional processing and take longer. For current specific processing times by section, and detailed info about backlogs/delays, see this page.
A very important factor in our processing is whether a credit is being added to an already existing title or filmography or not. Adding a new name to the database (i.e. submitting a credit for someone who does not already have a filmography listing) takes longer than adding a credit to a pre-existing filmography; similarly, adding credits to an existing title is faster than submitting a new title for inclusion in the database. The following table should help you estimate the minimum processing times for filmography credits submissions based on their status (i.e. whether the title or name they refer to are new or already present in the database). Please note that these are just approximate times. There are several other factors that may substantially delay processing of a credit (e.g. if the person received on-screen billing or not, if the film has been released or is still in production etc.).
| Existing Name | ||
| New Name |
If you submitted new credits or titles, please be patient and try to avoid resubmitting the data or contacting us about your update before the minimum times shown above have elapsed.
Due to the huge volume of data our staff has to process, it's extremely time-consuming and inefficient for us to locate individual submissions and look into specific "where's my credit"-type requests, and there is nothing we can do to speed up the process anyway. If you received an email confirmation after submitting your data, it means that we have received it and you just need to wait until our staff can process it.
Assuming there are no backlogs or delays, data that hasn't been added after 8 weeks has probably been rejected by our editors. There can be several reasons for this:
Cast/crew additions for upcoming/unreleased films are the hardest to to verify, especially if you're trying to add credits to a name that currently isn't listed in the database yet. If you are submitting credits for an unreleased title, you need to provide as much information as possible in order to help us verify them. If you provide additional information for your data that supports the view that it's eligible for inclusion in the Internet Movie Database, your chances of getting the info quickly into the database are much better.
If you feel your rejected submission should have been accepted (and you have verified that it's not already listed in the Internet Movie Database), you're welcome to resubmit it. Please make sure you include a comment to provide the additional information that may help us verify it (as described above).
While a subscription to IMDbPro can, in limited cases, reduce processing times by moving you to the front of the line, it does not affect whether we accept a title or credit.
IMDb retains the right to reject any submission whose eligibility according to our rules is dubious or/and not verifiable. That includes data for titles that are in their very first development stages. They may be rejected at that stage but accepted later on when they are actually finished. IMDb retains the right to change and adapt eligibility rules as circumstances require.
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