What's wrong with the Oscars

Oscar ratings have been steadily declining in recent years. In 2000, 46 million viewers followed the ceremony, now such numbers seem fantastic. The broadcast of the awards reached its bottom in 2021: then the coverage was only 10.4 million viewers. Many argued that this was due to the pandemic, although it is unlikely that it prevented anyone from opening the air at home. By the way, that ceremony was directed by Steven Soderbergh, but even he could not attract people to view.

Why is this happening? There seem to be several reasons.

An uninteresting ceremony

Over the years, the very concept of the event has changed a lot. 20 years ago, the stars were still unreachable and shrouded in a veil of mystery. In the age of social media, podcasts, and shows, the industry demands openness and transparency from celebrities. No one likes recluses - they quickly disappear out of sight. Yes, and film distributors expect promotion from their actors, including in personal social network accounts.

But the trend for naturalness, which is actively promoted by Hollywood stars, does not coincide with the current ceremony. Celebrities flaunt expensive suits as they used to, but now it looks controversial.

Another problem is the hosts of the ceremonies. In 2010, the Oscars were hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway - apparently, this is the last truly stellar couple. Since then, the award has been presented on stage by TV presenters, comedians known only to Americans, Amy Schumer, and for three years there was simply no host. Obviously, the stars of the first magnitude simply do not want to participate in this.

Popularity is also influenced by the fact that the Oscar is the last award in the award season. Obviously, he cannot compete with festivals in terms of new products, but after all the Golden Globes, BAFTAs and less significant awards the film academy list looks hackneyed.

Indistinct criteria

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has over 7,000 voting members. Actors choose the best in acting nominations, directors - in directing nominations, everyone is busy with their own profile. But polls show that many are voting for films they haven't even seen.

Despite the fact that the formal rules for the nominee are at least (no shorter than 40 minutes, the resolution is not lower than 2048 × 1080), there are also unspoken laws.

In the category "Best Film", a film not in English could theoretically win. At the same time, in the entire history of the award for the "Best Film" 14 films in foreign languages ​​were nominated, and only one won "parasites». It seems strange - after all, not all great movies are made in English. The logic by which some films get shortlisted in the main category, while others go to "foreigners" is simply not there.

The Oscars have genre preferences that are difficult to explain logically. More than 80% of the winners in the category "Best movieare dramas, while horror, sci-fi and action films are almost always ignored and not even nominated. Over the past two decades, comedies have also fallen into objectionable genres.

Ever changing rules

In recent years, the organizers of the Oscars have been taking steps they believe will help the awards return to their former glory. Since 2008, the number of nominees for "Best Film" has increased - before there were 5, now from 8 to 10. The decision was made against the backdrop of falling ratings. There was an opinion that the inclusion of blockbusters in the shortlist would help rectify the situation.

15 years have passed, and the ratings say that the idea has failed. Nevertheless, the film academy is not going to return the previous number of nominees. This step led to the fact that among the applicants there are passing films that have no chance of success. And the status of the nomination itself is reduced due to the large number of candidates.

But sometimes the academy reacts to changes in cinematography very late. For example, streaming platforms did not immediately get the opportunity to be nominated for awards. According to the rules of the award, the picture had to have at least a minimum release in cinemas. That's why Netflix movies The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and Roma had limited releases only to be shortlisted. Over time, the film academy stopped paying attention to whether the picture was shown in cinemas. But the time had already passed.

Are you going to watch the ceremony on March 13?