Oscars Scrap ‘Popular Film’ Category Following Massive Backlash
Less than a month after announcing the Oscars‘ new Best Popular Film category, which was to make its debut at the 2019 ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has opted to shelve the category for at least a year.
In a statement on Thursday, Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said the category “merits further study” and may be introduced at a future Oscars broadcast, though it will not be part of the 91st Academy Awards in February 2019.
“There has been a wide range of reactions to the introduction of a new award, and we recognize the need for further discussion with our members,” Hudson said. “We have made changes to the Oscars over the years — including this year — and we will continue to evolve while also respecting the incredible legacy of the last 90 years.”
Though the Academy said it remains “committed to celebrating a wide spectrum of movies,” the organization acknowledged that unveiling a new category late in the summer “creates challenges for films that have already been released.”
The new category, first announced in August, was to recognize “achievement in popular film,” though criteria for potential nominees were not made clear at the time. The news was quickly met with criticism, particularly regarding the potential overlap between movies in the “popular film” category and those that would also be nominated for Best Picture.
The Academy also aims to cut future Oscar broadcasts down to three hours. To that end, select categories among the 24 typically presented on-air will instead be awarded during commercial breaks, with those winning moments getting edited down for air later in the broadcast.
The 91st Academy Awards will air Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, on ABC. Are you glad the Academy is doing away with this category (for now)? Hit the comments below with your thoughts.
Yes. It was a dumb idea in the first place.
Exactly! Turning the Oscars into the MTV Movie Awards which no one watches which is why they added TV categories to little effect
Yes. Yes, it was.
Great news! I understand they need the viewership but I’m glad they’ve realised that they shouldn’t lose their integrity in the process
All 24 categories should be recognized. Movies are not just about the actors and the directors. The Oscars are the only major competitive award that showcases all aspects of movie making. From the costume designers, production designers, hair and makeup. They all work just as hard for the movie industry as the actors, actresses, and directors. If they need to cut for time, cut the opening monologue down, cut out the extra stuff that doesn’t need to be there. Let the people who get little to no recognition have their moment in the spotlight.
Everything Mikaela said. Every bit of it.
Funny how this is announced just after last night’s appearance by Rob Lowe on Colbert where he talked about this since he tweeted about it. Not that it mage a difference, but coincidental.
I’m glad. Now I hope they reverse the decision not to honour make-up artists or set directors, etc live. They can put their foot down about length of speeches, but should not treat various aspects of filmmaking as second class. They can cut the montages or eliminate the need for a host, I think these would help streamline what is already/still the most widely watched awards show of every year, without destroying it’s integrity.
Why don’t they just make a new Sci-Fi category? There are so many amazing films that are in this category. Why is this so difficult?
Because then what’s next. Best action movie? Best Romance movie? Best Comedy?etc… If you broke down a film category for a single separate genre, then why not for other genres. And that’s precisely what shouldn’t happen. Best Picture is prestigious and it should go to the best picture, whether it is a science fiction movie, comic book movie, animated movie, drama etc…
A problem is also what exactly qualifies as a sci-fi film vs say fantasy. Would Shape of Water have qualified as a sci-fi movie for example?
Look at the Teen Choice Awards. Best action nominees were Avengers: Infinity War, Justice League, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Tomb Raider. Best sci-fi nominees were Black Panther, Blade Runner 2049, Rampage, Ready Player One, Thor: Ragnarok. Why is Infinity War an action movie and Black Panther sci-fi?
Yeah, can we please not Teen Choice this whole thing?
Glad to hear this, but still wish they wouldn’t move categories to commercial breaks.
Best stuntman/woman catergory?
I’m still hoping for this as well. It can be part of the technical awards, but it’s a shame stunts and stunt people are not reconized.
Agree 100%.
It seems the Academy is as disorganized as the DNC. Get it together.
I give them a lot of credit for admitting they were wrong. That’s a hard thing to do, but in the end they’ve done the right thing.
They’re gonna keep the Oscars for Best Kiss and Best Fight, right?
As long as they keep Dreamiest Heartthrob, I’m good.
LOL
No soup for “Black Panther”
We did it everyone! High five!
How about forever? Stupid idea that flies in the face of the other awards.
A Most Popular Award is not going to fix anything. Corral the show to three hours, yes! And please, find a way not to preordain award recipients. It is no fun to watch because all the winners seem set after months of media speculation, campaigning, and endless rounds of critics and guild honors that recognize the same titles and people over and over and over. That is what has ruined the award telecast. By the time we get there, is is all said and done, and oh, too familiar to be fun.
Why add a “popular” category as they try to cut the ceremony down. People Choice and MTV has the popularity awards. The Oscars are for recognition if creative works of art.
Thsi sudden reversal of this new category seems like someone(s) in Hollywood woke up and realized that (Ultra liberal Hollywood) would have either a very embarrassing situation or a public relations nightmare (for Holllywood) if some very conservative movie was the “most popular film” and it was overlooked for that fact
I dont really care if they had or didnt have this category but stop shutting out movies like black panther which are superb to some of these slow dumb movies that are Oscar bait…la la land was not as good as some movies that didnt get nominated but it was typical oscar bait so of course its gonna get nominated… as well as a ton of other movies i just happened to pick la la land as an example… just because its a marvel flick doesnt make it some mtv award level movie
Once upon a time, the nominees were popular movies. Not they are films that no one has heard of until they are nominated. (At least most of the time.) That could be part of the reason the ratings are dropping each year. No one cares.
Why I stopped watching anyway. If no movies I watch or actors in them are nominated, why should I care who wins. When movies like “Dances with Wolves” “Unforgiven” or “Rocky” and Costner, Eastwood won Best Actor, that was something I could cheer about.
Best director
Can I ask all the commenters in high dudgeon about how this idea is “dumb” or unworthy: how is it that not one of you addressed the underlying cause here?
-dropping telecast ratings in a bloated show featuring noted periods of uninteresting and unenlightening content
-Oscar nominated and winning movies that few people see
-a gaping hole where movies of commercial interest are not acknowledged in any way, suggesting that in the Academy’s snobby view they are not actually worthy
These are not new problems. Viewers won’t watch when they can’t relate to the content. Advertisers won’t pay for smaller and smaller audiences. Networks will be more intrusive in ever more desperate attempts to make their investment worthwhile.
So, unless your goal is to see the telecast of the formerly premier movie awards shrivel up and move to some small webcast, maybe you could spare a thought or two as to how they move forward without imploding the brand. Maybe then a single appearance on a late night show won’t torpedo a sincere effort to address these issues.
Stunt men and stunt women are not given out an annual award for risking life and limb for their craft, however, this stupid, gimmick in an attempt to boost ratings was considered. Absurd nonsense.
In a related note; CBS has sent the People’s Choice Awards to E!, because, their ratings were no longer good enough for CBS.
They probably realized they would be ridiculed to no end if they “decided” which movies were: a. popular in the first place, and b. which were worthy of a reward for the presumed popularity.
If they let the audience decide (I wasnt clear on how the decision would be made at all) 4chan/8chan would probably just organize and choose some Z movie just to troll them.
I just figured they would go by box-office. So movies like Black Panther would be a slam dunk.
Cut the commercials out then see if you still have a time problem.
Black Panther getting an award was the only reason I’d watch. Nice to have that Sunday night free.
Please define massive. Because when millions backlash against there being political rants on the show, one would think that might be massive enough to make a change yes?
Awards shows, like beauty pageants, are dinosaurs. From stupidity like Gaga’s meat dress to Streep’s rants, they are ridiculous and annoying. Time to cease and desist.
We never needed this category to begin with.