The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Thursday that the Los Angeles Oscars have been postponed for the second year in a row due to contagious, loose eligibility rules that allow theaters to avoid.
The 94th Academy Awards will now take place on March 27 next year, a month later than originally planned, and will return to its traditional place at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.
The postponement avoids costly clashes at the Super Bowl and the Olympics, following a drop in ratings for this year’s rare and epidemic Oscar awards held at the Los Angeles train station.
The biggest event in American football will take place on February 13 in Los Angeles, while the World Winter Games show will take place on February 4 to 20 in Beijing.
But the impact of Covid-19, which changed Hollywood’s award season last year, continues to close theaters, delaying dozens of major films and forcing many festivals to take place online.
Films require at least seven days of shooting in Los Angeles theaters to qualify for Hollywood’s biggest prize. Those rules were relaxed last year as big screens were closed to encourage movies on streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
“This year, which is still plagued by epidemics, the eligibility requirements for the 94th Academy Awards will coincide with the addition to the 93rd Awards Season,” the academy said in a statement.
Films that hit theaters in five major cities outside of Los Angeles will be eligible, and the changes will be for next year’s Oscars and beyond.
However, as theaters in the United States are now reopening massively and film production is picking up speed again, the decision to expand last year’s calendar window in which films can be released and qualify for the Oscars. .
Films that want to compete for next year’s Oscars must be released by December 31st.
The academy’s decision to delay could lead other major Hollywood awards ceremonies to follow a domino effect.
But NBC has already announced that the traditional Golden Globes will not air early next year due to the continued record of organizers’ diversity and transparency.
France Media Agency
