Oscars’ plan to honour popular movies creates major backlash

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday it will begin to acknowledge the impact of major blockbusters like “Star Wars” and “Wonder Woman” in future broadcasts.

“Change is coming to the #Oscars,” the Academy tweeted Wednesday. “Here’s what you need to know: A new category is being designed around achievement in popular film.”

The Academy has a history of turning its back on blockbuster fare. As superhero franchises have taken over Hollywood, neither Marvel or DC films have been able to break into the awards, save for the technical categories.

The Oscars famously snubbed recent hits like “Wonder Woman,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Deadpool,” “Girls Trip” and “Finding Dory.” (There are occasional exceptions: James Cameron’s 2009 hit “Avatar” made it all the way to a best picture nomination.)

But backlash began brewing as soon as the plan was announced.

“Oh, I see. We’re going to make official the division where one kind of movie is popular and the other kind is good. That seems like a great idea, by which I mean: what a disaster,” wrote NPR’s Linda Holmes.

Many critics pointed out that seminal films like “Black Panther,” Hollywood’s groundbreaking African-American-led superhero blockbuster, could now be relegated to the new bucket of simply popular fare.

As Hollywood’s most esteemed film organization turned its back on popular fare, ratings for the Oscars plummeted. Ratings for this year’s Jimmy Kimmelhosted show (which clocked in at 3 hour and 50 minutes) dropped to a record low of 26.5 million viewers, down 20 per cent from the previous year’s 33 million.

The Academy also announced the show date is moving. “We’ve set an earlier airdate for 2020: mark your calendars for February 9. We’re planning a more globally accessible, three-hour telecast.”

The 91st Oscars will air on Feb. 24, 2019.