The Oscars dropped the Fan Favorite movie award, and that’s a good thing

The not so popular Best Popular Film

2018 Academy President Bailey approved for vanity fair that the idea was a direct response to the TV show’s declining ratings, a way of attracting viewers who might want to see, say, Black Panther additionally honored The favourite (although this year’s best picture winner, Green Bookwas a straight-forward, mainstream studio image that had done well enough at the box office).

The idea was quickly smiled at in the press and by members of the Academy. At first it smelled of condescension towards the films themselves: What made Black Panther worthy of Best Popular Picture but not Best Picture? Just his box office alone? Wasn’t a superhero movie (or another genre movie, most of which would probably fall into the popular category) good enough for the grand prize? Let’s not forget too Black Panther the likely winner, the racist undertone of a “separate” award for the “Black Film.”

Second, it was an insult to the film industry and the people who make the films. The Oscars are voted on by thousands of people closely involved in the making of films. The nominees in each category are selected by people working in those categories (best picture is the exception). Would the Academy really scale back their hard work on “popular movies” and relegate them to a proverbial children’s table?

Scorned on all sides, the idea of ​​Best Popular Picture faded as quickly as it arose, and didn’t make its debut at the 91st Academy Awards as originally planned. But his ghost still roamed the hallowed halls of the academy and suddenly reappeared in 2022.

The fan favorite prize that the fans didn’t vote on

Last year’s 94th Academy Awards was a disaster for many reasons, including of course the slap Heard Around the World and the TV show’s lack of eight categories, but another aspect of this year’s debacle was the debut of the fan favorite “award.” should allow fans to vote for their favorite movie and movie moment — “Oscar Cheer Moment” — of the year via Twitter.

Although it conjured up nightmares for many, the Best Popular Picture award is reappearing in a new guise, the Fan Favorite award wasn’t really an Oscar. It was designed to attract younger viewers who were more engaged with social media, and it was also seen as a way to recognize a film that, while a pop culture phenomenon, had no realistic chance of winning the real Best Oscar To win a film – or in this case, even to be nominated. Once again how Black Panther four years earlier, in this case, it was a Marvel film Spider-Man: No Way Home, the academy coveted to be accepted into the program. The $1.9 billion blockbuster had given the theater business a much-needed shot in the arm after nearly two years of a pandemic-induced coma, and it had been critically acclaimed as well. But Academy voters wouldn’t nominate or vote for a threesome in a superhero franchise.