Oscars to Enforce Rule for Best Picture Eligibility; Directly Forcing Netflix to Expand Theatrical Releases

Here’s another Puck exclusive.

Puck’s Matt Belloni is being told that the Academy will enact a significant rules change, potentially adding a new theatrical distribution requirement for films to be eligible for best picture.

“The reform proposes that films will need to play in theaters in 15 or 20 of the top 50 markets in the U.S. to be eligible.”

According to the report, Academy CEO Bill Kramer has been talking with studios, streamers, and small distributors about how to better leverage the Oscars to promote moviegoing.

He’s trying to branch out the “Oscar Bait” titles to more cities and, at the same time, trying to rattle Netflix who have been taking advantage of the relaxed rules by giving their films one-week runs, purely for eligibility’s sake.

The report goes on to state that Netflix is currently the only big company that doesn't believe in the theatrical experience, even Apple and Amazon have shown more interest.

Yeah, it really is time to force Netflix’s hands a bit.

These new rules would give Netflix no other option but to start putting their films in theaters if they truly want Oscars. The streaming giant is said to have spent over $100 million in awards season campaigning over the last seven years.

Poor ol’ Netflix will now have to actually sell their movies to theaters, with marketing budgets instead of saving millions for campaign.

I find this to be a great idea, but, there’s a caveat. What about the very small indie movies? Like, ahem, “To Leslie”? They’ll stand no chance. And maybe these rule changes are in fact to counterattack another “To Leslie” type of nomination to ever occur again, as well as to hamper down Netflix. It’s two-fold.

Netflix’s Oscar-winning “All Quiet on the Western Front” barely went to theaters. It played “exclusively” at the Paris Theater in New York on October 7 before expanding to other theatres from October 14. Then was launched on Netflix two weeks later.