Blockbuster films given a better chance of Oscar glory

A new category will reward box office hits losing out to art-house favourites

FILM fans have often been left puzzled on Hollywood’s biggest night of the year as huge box-office hits lose out for Oscars to less popular art-house favourites.

But popular blockbusters are now about to share in the Oscar night glory.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – which awards the Oscars – yesterday announced a new category for outstanding achievement in popular film.

It could see more blockbusters and action films, traditionally overlooked at the Oscars, taking home one of the coveted statuettes.

John Bailey, the president of the Academy, has emailed all members confirming that the board of governors has approved the changes.

The last time a new category was added to the awards was best animated film in 2001.

This year’s awards in March featured the lowestgrossing best picture nominees in six years. Call Me By Your Name had taken just $15 million (£12 million) at the US box office, and Daniel Day-lewis’s Phantom Thread had barely recouped half of its $35 million budget.

Even Dunkirk, which was the highest-grossing of the nine nominees, barely made it into the top 20 moneyearners of 2017 with its US takings of $188 million.

Best picture winner The Shape of Water had grossed $57.4 million in the United States by the time the awards aired and $63.9million total.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi, by contrast, had takings of $681 million, and even the critically panned Jumanji sequel earned $380million.

The gulf between box office and Oscar success is a relatively new phenomenon. Titanic made more than $600 million in 1997 on its way to winning best picture.

However, the last time a top-grossing US film went on to win best picture was in 2003, with Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King.

Since then, the disconnect between the box office and Oscar glory has grown – and has hit the ratings hard.

This year’s ceremony was watched by just 26.5 million viewers, the lowest ever, which industry observers blame partly on the drift away from live TV.

To try to win back audiences, the Academy revealed a number of changes yesterday. They include a ceremony limited to three hours, by presenting some awards live in the Dolby Theatre, while other less popular categories will be handed out during commercial breaks. Those missed by live viewers will then be aired at a later date.

“We have heard from many of you about improvements needed to keep the Oscars and our Academy relevant in a changing world,” Mr Bailey told members.