The Academy temporarily changes rules, movies debuting on streaming eligible

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

It really took a global pandemic for The Academy to adjust its rules and open the door to films that debut exclusively on streaming services. Due to the theater closures and most films delaying or postponing their releases altogether in the wake of COVID-19, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has amended its rules, for next year's Academy Awards only, to allow for streaming movies to compete. 

The Academy's board of governor's approved the change but were quick to point out that this change would be temporary. Once theaters are allowed to reopen and things go back to normal,  the rules of exemption that have been established temporarily will no longer apply. Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson had this to say about the matter:

"The Academy firmly believes there is no greater way to experience the magic of movies than to see them in a theater. Our commitment to that is unchanged and unwavering. Nonetheless, the historically tragic [situation] necessitates this temporary exception to our awards eligibility rules. The Academy supports our members and colleagues during this time of uncertainty. We recognize the importance of their work being seen and also celebrated, especially now, when audiences appreciate movies more than ever."

In the past, if a film hoped to qualify for the Oscars they had to, at a minimum, have a week-long qualifying run at a theater in Los Angeles County. This is the main reason why Netflix gave limited theatrical runs to films like THE IRISHMAN or ROMA so they could properly qualify for consideration. Given the fact that studios can't release movies in theaters right now, matters have become complicated. What's not complicated is that under these new but temporary rules, movies like TROLLS WORLD TOUR could qualify for a Best Picture nomination, even though it made its debut on VOD. That's right folks, there could be an Oscar telecast where you see Netflix's SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL competing for the top prize. All VOD/streaming titles will have to be made available to Academy voters via the organization’s members-only streaming service, Academy Screening Room, within 60 days of their non-theatrical debut. 

Even though this temporary change is taking place, I still doubt it will have much impact on the Oscars. Assuming moviegoing gets back to normal by late July, most films vying for Oscar nominations come out towards the end of the year and I'm sure The Academy will be looking at those films a lot harder this year given the circumstances. This change also opens the floodgates for a lot of debate within the industry because while many are open to considering streaming titles, there is a big fraction of them that stands solely behind the theatrical model and don't even think films that are made exclusively for streaming should be considered for Oscars. Steven Spielberg has famously said Netflix original films should be considered for Emmy Awards and not Oscars since they're films that debut on television and he believed Netflix was harming the movie theater experience. This change possibly has people like him shaking their heads a bit.

The Academy made a few other changes that will likely be permanent moving forward. They have decided to merge the two sound categories, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing, into one category that will honor the "best achievement in sound." Additionally, in the Original Score category, a score must contain, at minimum, 60 percent original music to qualify. For sequels and franchises, a score must have a minimum of 80 percent new music. Finally, this will be the final year that physical DVD screeners are allowed, as the Academy has decided to embrace digital screeners on its own platform.

I'm all for this change, even if it is temporary. Things have been trending in this direction for quite a bit and now The Academy is catching up, even if they were forced to do so. Do YOU agree with this temporary change? Should the change be permanent? The 93rd Academy Awards are scheduled to air on February 28, 2021.