The coronavirus crisis just officially changed the Oscars — at least for a year.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday that for next year's show, movies that debut on streaming services or on demand but not in theaters can be eligible for an Oscar.
This decision comes as movie theaters are closed throughout the United States due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the rule being altered is still quite significant. Movies from streamers like Netflix have previously been eligible if they received at least a limited theatrical release in Los Angeles, and this requirement has been maintained as some Oscar voters have expressed fears that streaming's growing dominance poses a threat to the traditional theatrical experience.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Under the new rules, the Academy said that movies that "had a previously planned theatrical release but are initially made available" on streaming or video on demand services can qualify for the Oscars as long as they meet other eligibility requirements and are made available to view on the Academy's streaming site within 60 days of release. The Academy, however, stressed that this is only for this year and that when theaters reopen, "on a date to be determined by the Academy," the exception won't apply anymore. At that point, Variety reports movies that premiered on streaming won't then also have to be released in theaters.
"The Academy firmly believes there is no greater way to experience the magic of movies than to see them in a theater," Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said. "Our commitment to that is unchanged and unwavering. Nonetheless, the historically tragic COVID-19 pandemic necessitates this temporary exception to our awards eligibility rules."
The 93rd Academy Awards, with its streaming movies and all, is set for February 2021.
-
September 14 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-warTalking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
