NEW YORK, NY – BroadwayWorld, the internet's premier destination for highly specific theatrical news, has unveiled a revolutionary new algorithm designed to definitively crown the 'Best Movie Musical of All Time.' The announcement comes after decades of what sources describe as 'exhausting and ultimately meaningless' fan-voted brackets, which consistently failed to produce a universally accepted answer.

“We’ve tried everything,” stated Brenda Carmichael, Head of Irrelevant Cultural Metrics at BroadwayWorld. “Polls, Twitter battles, even a very aggressive Facebook group. But every time, some contrarian would bring up 'The Sound of Music' or, God forbid, 'Cats,' and we’d be back to square one. Our new AI, codenamed 'The Arbiter,' will end this chaos.”

The Arbiter, developed in a windowless room by a team of former hedge fund quants, reportedly analyzes over 300 data points, including critical reception, box office adjusted for inflation, number of times 'Defying Gravity' has been sung poorly at karaoke, and the precise shade of red in Ewan McGregor’s hair in 'Moulin Rouge!' It also incorporates a 'Sentiment Over Time' metric, which measures the collective groan emitted by humanity when 'Grease 2' is mentioned.

Early simulations suggest the algorithm is already generating surprising results, with 'Xanadu' briefly topping the charts before a last-minute data correction involving Olivia Newton-John’s roller skates. Experts believe this technology could soon be applied to other contentious cultural debates, such as 'Best Pizza Topping' or 'Is a hot dog a sandwich?'

“The days of people having their own opinions are numbered,” Carmichael added, adjusting her spectacles. “Soon, there will only be the correct opinion, as determined by a machine that has no soul, no biases, and has never once been forced to sit through 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.'”

The Arbiter is expected to deliver its final, indisputable verdict by late 2024, at which point all dissenting opinions will be automatically flagged for re-education.