The key question for the Academy is whether or not this batch of nominees is enough to move the needle on viewership. Audiences love Christopher Nolan and the awards voting bodies do as well. It feels like “Oppenheimer” gives him the best chance in his entire career at winning both Best Director and Best Picture. Similarly, “Barbie” feels like it could walk away with some big prizes, even though Greta Gerwig was shockingly left out of the Best Director category (not to mention Margot Robbie not being nominated for Best Actress).
This is to say, the popular Best Picture nominees this year feel like they are more than just nominations for the sake of a nomination. These are wildly popular movies that are also very much in the race. So, while we had some hugely popular movies nominated last year as well, the popular movies this year have more skin in the game, and audiences feel invested in many of these movies. That could help when it comes to viewership, which truly needs a boost.
Last year’s Oscars ceremony was viewed by 18.7 million people, which was a big increase from the all-time low in 2021 of just 10.4 million viewers. But we’re still leaps and bounds away from pre-pandemic numbers when the ceremony easily brought in 30 million viewers or more. Hollywood needs people to care about awards — particularly the Oscars — as these things strongly motivate the decisions to make certain types of movies. In an increasingly uncertain marketplace, one could argue the importance of the Oscars has never been greater (and, with it, the average moviegoer’s investment in the Oscars). We’ll see if this particular batch of nominees is up to the task at hand.
The 96th annual Academy Awards are set to air on Sunday, March 10, 2024, on ABC.