The Academy’s Board of Governors has approved new requirements to broaden the public theatrical exhibition criteria for Oscars eligibility in the Best Picture category starting with the 97th Academy Awards, for films released in 2024. And it’s not good news for streaming services such as Apple TV+.
Upon completion of an initial qualifying run, currently defined as a one-week theatrical release in one of the six U.S. qualifying cities, a film must meet the following additional theatrical standards for Best Picture eligibility:
- Expanded theatrical run of seven days, consecutive or non-consecutive, in 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets, no later than 45 days after the initial release in 2024.
- For late-in-the-year films with expansions after January 10, 2025, distributors must submit release plans to the Academy for verification.
- Release plans for late-in-the-year films must include a planned expanded theatrical run, as described above, to be completed no later than January 24, 2025.
- Non-U.S. territory releases can count towards two of the 10 markets.
- Qualifying non-U.S. markets include the top 15 international theatrical markets plus the home territory for the film.
“As we do every year, we have been reviewing and assessing our theatrical eligibility requirements for the Oscars,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said. “In support of our mission to celebrate and honor the arts and sciences of moviemaking, it is our hope that this expanded theatrical footprint will increase the visibility of films worldwide and encourage audiences to experience our artform in a theatrical setting. Based on many conversations with industry partners, we feel that this evolution benefits film artists and movie lovers alike.”
He adds that eligibility for achievements in the various discipline categories won’t be impacted by this requirement. For information on awards rules, visit oscars.org/rules.
How might this impact Apple TV+? As noted by AppleInsider: The rule structure, and the commentary of the Academy CEO, doesn’t really impact traditional film studios that rely on theatrical releases instead of straight-to-streaming releases. Though Apple does already implement theatrical releases for its movies, it could make such release programs more expensive or tougher to produce than at present.
It may also be an issue for streaming service viewership, as there would be an incentive to encourage watching via a theater to justify the cost and distribution of the film. This would mean fewer views for the film on streaming services themselves.
