The Academy has installed new rules and regulations for next year’s race. They’ve actually released a 40 page edict that will take out some of the fun from awards season.
Firstly, no streaming. To qualify for Best Picture, your movie must play in a theater for, at least, seven days in one of the major markets. This is a slight push for Netflix to adhere, especially with Apple (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) and Amazon (“Air”) now embracing theatrical.
However, contrary to rumors, they haven’t changed the number of theaters and cities that movies must book to be eligible for Oscars. They’ve instead opted to tackle this topic for the 2025 Oscars. That’s really too bad.
As far as direct email and public social media to promote their favorites, the Academy has banned Oscar voting strategy from being discussed, ditto decisions, or preferences. Basically, no more “To Leslie” stanning like what actress Frances Fischer did on Twitter.
The Academy is also now prohibiting voters from speaking to the press anonymously about their ballots. No more anonymous ballots.
They also slightly changed voting rules in the International Feature category which will now be a more director-centric voting pool:
The International Feature Film category rules now stipulate that selection committees must comprise at least 50% filmmakers (artists and/or craftspeople).
Finally, in a hinted jab at Academy president Janet Yang, the Academy Governors made it clear that they themselves are not allowed to participate in any Oscar campaigns. If you remember, EEAAO superfan, and academy president, Yang posted an endorsement of Michelle Yeoh while voting was still happening.
A24 isn't being subtle. This Friday, "You Can See Everything" will expand to roughly 600 additional theaters, bringing it to 3,243 screens nationwide. That's a studio going after the top spot at the box office.