The Academy Awards are more influential than most people realize.
Each year, the academy’s leadership boards reviews potential changes and categories. Some categories, such as juvenile acting, dance direction, and split winners for black and white and color films have been eliminated. The film’s highest honor is best picture. It is often reviewed. Do you remember the short moment not too many years ago when there was going be a popular Oscar category.
One such change is in effect this year: Ten best picture nominees will be announced on February 8th, at the nomination morning. Here are some things to look forward to:
WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS YEAR’S BEST PICTURE CATEGORY?
On Tuesday, 10 films will be announced as the best picture nominees at the 94th Oscars. It’s been a sliding list of 5-10 nominees for the past decade. Most years, there were eight to nine nominees.
Is THIS UNPRECEDENTED
The academy has moved the number of best-picture nominees many times. In the 1930s and 1940s, there were eight to twelve films that could be nominated for a nomination in any given year. It was five in 1944 and then ten in 2009. In 2011, it was increased to 10 from 5.
WHY IS IT MATTTER?
Here are some reasons. A movie’s best picture nomination can be a huge asset. This increases awareness and can lead to box office growth (though this year could be an exception due to the pandemic). Perhaps most important, many people believe that the 10th field can allow for nominations in genres not normally considered Oscar-material. This includes comic-book films. Many believed that the 2009 changes were a result of “The Dark Knight” failing to receive a nomination. It is believed that viewers will tune in more to the show if popular films are nominated. However, this has led to declining ratings over time. In 1998, “Titanic,” which won the award for best animated film, attracted more than 55 million viewers.
So, WILL SPIDER-MAN BE NOMINATED IN THIS YEAR’S AWARDS?
The pandemic’s biggest blockbuster, “Spider-Man 2: No Way Home”, doesn’t appear to be in the running for a best picture nomination. It didn’t receive a Producers Guild award. The same goes for James Bond’s “No Time To Die”. But surprises could happen on Tuesday morning.
Who votes for the BEST PICTURE NOMINEES
Nomination voting is restricted to a specific category (actors nominate actors; costume designers nominate costumes designers); however, all academy members are eligible to vote for the best picture.
WHAT OTHER PICTURE CHANGES ARE THE BEST?
Inclusion standards were introduced in 2020 for best picture hopefuls. They are intended to promote diversity and equitable representation on screen, and address gender, sexual orientation and race. However, they won’t be in effect until the 96th Academy Awards in 2024.
