Bronwen K. Bradshaw 

Features Writer 

Photo credit: People.com 

The 2024 Academy Awards again held its annual awards show spectacle this past Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, featuring Jimmy Kimmel as host for the fourth time. The Los Angeles Times reported that the Oscars saw an uptick in viewership in 2023, growing from 16.675 million in 2022 to 18.755 million viewers in 2023. However, the rise of streaming services has cast a shadow over the Oscars and contributed to its low ratings in recent years. While some may have lost interest in the televised broadcast, the allure of understanding what goes into making a film an Oscar nominee remains.   

According to the Washington Post, the Oscars originally honored films and those who made them, but now, they often feature campaigns designed to funnel money to studios producing the nominated films. For example, Harvey Weinstein infamously used the Oscars as a political platform to boost his credibility as a producer. His incessant lobbying and negative comments against rival studios left a lasting impact on the industry.  

Weinstein’s behavior and convictions got him exiled from the film world, but his tactics of campaigning for the Oscars remain part of the industry. Studios budget for campaigning their films every award season to attract audiences to movie theaters. Rereleasing films after being nominated for an Oscar increases revenue for the studios that can market their movie as Oscar-nominated.   

An article for New York Times Magazine underscores how studios hire strategists to run Oscar campaigns that start as early as a year before the award nominations are announced. These promotional campaigns include determining which film festivals will show their film, competing with films from other studios, and recognizing how best to bring awareness of their film to audiences. In a twist on the typical formula, this year saw the Barbenheimer phenomenon influence the public to see the two films on the same day, positioning them as unlikely companion pieces rather than rivals. The circumstances led to increased box office revenue for both Oscar-nominated films.    

Rumors and bad press circulated on Oscar night due to the lack of a best director nomination for Greta Gerwig for Barbie. Many people were perplexed at why the director didn’t receive a nomination despite her film’s nomination for other awards, including Best Picture. The New York Times explained how the 587 Oscar voters, only a quarter of whom are women, delivered the perceived snub. Some critics and viewers believe Gerwig’s lack of nomination further supports the movie’s theme of society prioritizing male-driven stories. However, Gerwig proved them wrong by being the first woman director to gross over one billion dollars at the box office for her film, making it one of the year’s biggest films.  

Despite controversies and manipulation from movie studios, the Oscars maintain their status and prestige among artists, filmmakers, and producers.