Is Best Picture About to Be Changed...AGAIN?

A report suggests that a major course correction might happen.

Story by Matt Cummings

Six years ago, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences expanded the list of best picture nominees from five to 10, a move that was supposed to shine greater light on more mainstream films and attract a wider audience to root for their favorites. It appears that the experiment has not only failed, but that a surprising reversal might be in store.

According to a report by THR, MPAS is considering a move back to the old rules, where best picture would again be limited to five nominees. The change is happening in large part because a significant amount of MPAS members believe the experiment to generate more interest in the Oscars has failed and has actually reduced the prestige of the nomination.

TV audiences are apparently driving the decision to make the change. According to new numbers, the 2015 Oscar telecast experienced a 15 percent drop, bolstered by harsh public criticism of host Neil Patrick Harris and the general perception that the event has become too long. But the rules change is perhaps the most significant news to come out of MPAS, who themselves have been criticized for failing to reflect the tastes of the general moviegoing audience.

MPAS governors are scheduled to meet on March 24, when the proposal to reduce Best Picture could be entertained. But that meeting will most likely revolve around the post-mortem report by the Academy's awards committee of the event itself. Whether this could lead to big changes across the board is unknown, but the pressure to do so is significant for other reasons.

This year's Oscar list was the lowest-grossing of the modern era, taking in only $999.5 million down a whopping 75% ($4.9 billion) since the nominees were expanded. In fact, most nominees barely made their money back. Add the lack of diversity in the Best Actor category and the continual revolving door of hosts in recent years, and you have an event that audiences can no longer connect with, a charge that was seemingly addressed back in 2009. At that time, MPAS expanded the list of nominees from 5 to 10, after The Dark Knight was omitted in the previous year. In 2011, the Academy decided that anything up to 10 films could be nominated, resulting in eight being nominated this year and nine in the three years prior.

But instead of nominating more blockbusters, the Academy delved into arthouse films, like Birdman. Even though it took home four Oscars including Best Director, the general opinion was that the Oscars were hurt by such eclectic choices and that the film seems to glad-hand Hollywood itself. That's not a new allegation, as 1999 saw a similar situation arise between Elizabeth, Saving Private Ryan, and the eventual winner Shakespeare in Love, another film about actors.

With growing concern among moviegoers and seemingly new pressures on MPAS, it will be worth watching to see if the governors choose to stay the course, make significant changes, or merely tweak what they consider to be inevitable speed bumps on the road to a mostly effective event.

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