While the Oscars are still the top awards in the movie industry, the organization has been in a period of transition over the last few years. Between trying to diversify Academy membership and trying to improve Oscars ratings of its awards telecast, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has tried a lot of different things to make itself more relevant, but now the Academy is reportedly considering what could be a massive rule change that would be a boon to theatrical distribution, and equally bad news for streamers.
Currently, to be considered for most Academy Awards, including Best Picture, a movie must simply be available to view in theaters for one week in New York or Los Angeles. However, according to Puck (via Berry Hertz on Twitter) a rule change is being considered that would require films to screen in 15 or 20 of the country’s top 50 markets to be considered.
