Andrew Daume: Arts and Entertainment Editor
This past Sunday, the 98th annual Oscars took place, and it was a night of chaos in what is typically a calculated night. This year showed its cards bare, with recurring camera slip-ups, multiple instances of the microphone lowering mid-speech, and the orchestra being ruthless in when they play off speeches as usual. Not to mention the jabs at movie corporations and the eventual lead to Oscars on YouTube in 2029.
This year’s Oscars also reignited the debate over how long speeches should be. The winners have worked their entire lives to make it, and the Oscars are nothing without the acceptance speeches, so keeping speeches long seems like the better answer. But with 24 categories to go through, host jokes, presenters, and nominee videos, the speeches are an unfortunate addition that gives the show its 4 hour runtime. Viewers do not want to watch a 5-7 hour show on a Sunday night.
That being said, when the Oscars make their move to YouTube, upending traditional commercial breaks, how will the format change? Will it still be as long, or will the empty advertiser space be filled with more of Adrian Brody talking our ears off? I predict it’ll stay the same length while adhering to whatever Hollywood overlords need to check off. I do see this change to YT as a positive step. It modernizes the franchise while keeping the show as a whole intact.
Speaking of change, let’s look into the real changes that are shaking up the film industry. Giant corporation mergers, streaming battles, and the struggle of theatres. If this year’s Oscars are any indication of the current state of the industry, theatre-first films are still leading strongly, but streaming films are carving their mark, and it’s hard to ignore.
The two big winners of the night were One Battle After Another and Sinners, both Warner Bros, which were proud theatre-first movies, totalling 11 statues. Proving the ever-growing collection of streaming movies and studio mergers doesn’t threaten theatres as of now.
On the other hand, Netflix had another great year. Frankenstein took home three Oscars during the show, with their other breakout streaming hit, K-Pop Demon Hunters, taking two. Netflix totalled seven Oscars, less than Warner Bros but nothing to doubt, they’re still a strong contender in the race.
Apple Studios played both sides with their popcorn action flick, F1, taking the win for sound editing, and getting nominated for best picture, amongst other nominations. F1 was released in theatres as well as being on Apple TV, so it doesn’t make definitive progress to either side.
Paramount was completely absent from the Oscars, but with their WB purchase, they’ll likely benefit from WB’s wins next year.
Overall, the argument of streaming versus theatres is still a very valid one, especially with the ever-changing industry and format. This year’s Oscars held the belief that theatres are still the leading medium for film and are not going anywhere for the foreseeable decade. Netflix’s wins kept them as a leading candidate for streaming, opening the doors for other platforms like Prime Video and Peacock to swoop in and light up those categories. Although I don’t think any Tubi movies will be stealing a statue anytime soon.
