Oscars’ Best Picture hopefuls must spend more time in cinemas; Emmys may be postponed due to strikes
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Members of the Writers Guild of America picket outside of the Fox News advertiser Upfront Event, in New York on May 15.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
LOS ANGELES – In a move designed to signal Hollywood’s commitment to the movie-going experience, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday said it would require an expanded theatrical release for films seeking to be eligible for a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards.
The new eligibility rule is sure to affect how Netflix and other streaming services release films they consider Oscar-worthy.
And it could be an impediment to smaller distributors that lack the means to release films in cities across the United States.
Oscar-oriented films have struggled mightily at the box office in recent years, making some wonder if the importance of big screens has been forever altered by the streaming era.
In 2022, Coda from Apple TV+ was the first film from a streaming service to win Best Picture at the Oscars.
To be eligible for a Best Picture nomination, films are already required to have an initial qualifying run in theatres, defined as a one-week release in one of six US cities (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco or Miami).
Beginning in 2024, those films will also need a theatrical presence for another seven days (either consecutive or non-consecutive) in 10 of the top 50 US markets, no later than 45 days after its initial release.
Two of the 10 markets in the expanded release can be outside the US if they are among the top 15 international theatrical markets.
The move, voted on by the academy’s board of governors at its most recent meeting, is a clear attempt to prevent streaming companies like Netflix – which prefer to release films on their services with as little theatrical presence as possible – from eroding the moviegoing experience.
The Emmy Awards may also be postponed due to the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike, now into its eighth week.
Organisers of the Emmys, which is scheduled for Sept 18, are in discussions about moving the event to a later date if the strike drags deep into the summer, two people familiar with the plans said.
They added that if the strike is not over by early August, the televised ceremony could be delayed by months, potentially pushing it into January.
No final decisions have been made, and it is possible that more contingency plans could be introduced, the sources added.
The Television Academy, which administers the Emmys, and Fox, which is broadcasting the 2023 ceremony, declined to comment.
The Emmys, the TV industry’s most prestigious award show, usually takes place in August or September. The last time it was pushed to a later date was after the attacks on Sept 11, 2001. That year, the event took place in November.
Voting for Emmy nominations is under way and the nominees are scheduled to be announced on July 12. NYTIMES
