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Better Search Results from IMDb with URL Tweaks

By df

If you’re a serious IMDb user like me, you know the built-in IMDb Advanced Search is super powerful — but sometimes it feels a bit clunky to use every time. The cool trick? You can manually tweak IMDb URLs to create custom, detailed searches instantly!

Why manually tweak URLs?

  • It’s faster once you know the syntax.
  • You can combine lots of filters that the normal UI doesn’t expose easily.
  • Perfect for bookmarking or sharing specific searches.

How do IMDb URLs work?

IMDb’s advanced search URLs are basically a list of parameters connected by &. Each parameter filters a part of the search, like:

  • languages=en,hi — English or Hindi language titles
  • num_votes=500, — at least 500 votes
  • release_date=1980-01-01, — from January 1, 1980 onward
  • title_type=feature — only feature films
  • user_rating=7.5, — user rating 7.5 and above

Add or combine parameters based on what you want.

Examples: Crafting Better Queries

1. Popular English/Hindi Feature Films (1980+, Rated 7.5+)

Open this query on IMDb 

https://www.imdb.com/search/title?languages=en,hi&num_votes=500,&release_date=1980-01-01,&title_type=feature&user_rating=7.5,

2. Highest Rated Feature Films (Not In Your Watchlist, 2011+, 5000+ votes)

Open this query on IMDb 

https://www.imdb.com/search/title?num_votes=5000,&release_date=2011,&sort=user_rating,desc,&title_type=feature&my_ratings=exclude&lists=!watchlist

3. Top TV Series with At Least 2000 Votes

Open this query on IMDb 

https://www.imdb.com/search/title?num_votes=2000,&sort=user_rating,desc&title_type=tv_series

4. Best Action Features Released in 2013

Open this query on IMDb 

https://www.imdb.com/search/title?genres=action&sort=user_rating&title_type=feature&year=2013,2013

Bonus: A Complex Custom Query Example

This searches for:

  • Popular English-language TV movies
  • Action-Thriller genre
  • Released between 2000 and 2014
  • US box office gross between $100K and $200M
  • User rating between 8.4 and 9.2
  • Starring Leonardo DiCaprio
  • Released and produced by major studios (Fox, Columbia, DreamWorks, Paramount)
  • Color films with DTS sound mix
  • 20,000 to 100,000 votes

Open this complex query on IMDb 

https://www.imdb.com/search/title?boxoffice_gross_us=100000,200000000&certificates=us:g,us:pg,us:pg_13,us:r,us:nc_17&colors=color&companies=fox,columbia,dreamworks,paramount&countries=us&genres=action,thriller&groups=top_1000&languages=en&num_votes=20000,100000&production_status=released&release_date=2000-01-01,2014-01-01&role=nm0000138&sound_mixes=dts&title_type=tv_movie&user_rating=8.4,9.2

Tips to Build Your Own Queries

  • Start simple: Add one or two parameters and see what happens.
  • Use ranges: For dates, votes, ratings — use commas to separate min and max (e.g. 7.5,9.0).
  • Mix filters: Combine genres, countries, certifications, companies for precise results.
  • Sort results: Use sort=user_rating,desc or sort=release_date,asc to order results.
  • Exclude stuff: my_ratings=exclude or lists=!watchlist filters out your watched or saved titles.

For Developers

IMDb doesn’t officially offer a public API, but you can check out this Stack Overflow thread for unofficial APIs and tools that scrape IMDb data more programmatically.

In short: Bookmark these and make your own

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