This week, Cineworld’s CEO Mooky Greidinger published a guest opinion article for Deadline in which he blasted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for their lack of judgment in choosing films to nominate for Best Picture. Greidinger points out the obvious, that “many of the largest and most influential films of today remain unrecognized.”
According to a recent survey conducted by Morning Consult, a majority of Americans were aware of only two of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture – DUNE and WEST SIDE STORY. What’s more, several of the highest-profile, most successful movies of the year were not even nominated, including Sony/Marvel’s blockbuster SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME and the 25th film in the James Bond franchise NO TIME TO DIE. These were the movies that quite literally saved the industry, and drove interest in Hollywood. Meanwhile, the Academy is suffering from a long-term, dramatic decline in ratings.
While Greidinger, as the CEO of the country’s second-largest exhibitor, has an interest in promoting high-profile box office performers, he’s also pointing out the obvious. The Oscars are losing their relevancy to the general public and receding to become a niche event for hard-core cinephiles.