We finally know that 2023’s Oscars will take place on 3/12, but that’s not good news.
Once again, the Academy’s picked a March date that guarantees another bloated & extended awards season. Oscar campaigning starts with May’s Cannes Film Festival, where studios use costly premieres to put films into the early best picture conversation — like TOP GUN: MAVERICK (pictured) & ELVIS. Because Academy members are notoriously reluctant to nominate mainstream movies for best picture, being in the global media spotlight is step one.
But frontrunners must survive nearly a year of combat. As all the Oscar bellwethers start ringing, there’s an endless pre-Oscars parade of the same contenders. The sameness of it all works against the Oscars since viewers feel they’ve already seen it all by March.
The Academy’s far-flung membership — over 25% are now based in 75 countries — favors small international dramas. Many of them are only streaming, making it hard to get U.S. moviegoers to boost Oscar’s sagging ratings. However worthy these films are, unless American audiences know them, they don’t have a rooting interest in who wins.
The Academy would benefit from earlier dates for future festivities since shrinking the awards season could heighten interest in Oscar’s sealed envelopes.