Over the decades it has published reviews by eminent film critics such as AO Scott, Vincent Canby and Bosley Crowther, writers capable of making or breaking a movie in the US. But the New York Times said that it will no longer promise to cover every new film release, owing to the number of movies now hitting cinemas each week.



The decision was made earlier this summer, according to reports, but was made public this week after Variety obtained an email from NYT co-chief film critic Scott confirming the move. “Because of the increasing volume of new films released each year, the Times is no longer able to guarantee reviews of all New York theatrical releases,” he wrote. He added that new movies would now be chosen for coverage on a case-by-case basis, but promised that the newspaper would continue to review as many as possible.

Variety suggests the New York Times’s decision could hit smaller distributors of independent films. The newspaper has in the past criticised the proliferation of low-quality “vanity releases” screened in a single cinema for a short period to guarantee a verdict from the famous newspaper.

However, Scott said the new policy had so far affected a relatively small number of movies and the newspaper remained committed to covering worthy releases. “It’s not hard to spot a vanity booking,” he told Variety. “There are clues. We err on the side of reviewing. If there’s a chance something will be worth our time and space, we want to take that chance.”

There is, however, concern that the move might lead to some independent documentary-makers missing out on Oscar qualification: entry rules for the prize for best documentary require a review in either the Times or the LA Times.

“We didn’t tell the documentary branch to make us the standard and it’s tricky because a lot of those are, in effect, four-wall releases,” Scott told Variety. “A lot of them come out on cable or on video-on-demand. On the other hand, they tend to be interesting films and films that we’re interested in reviewing.

“We have three staff critics and a good roster of freelancers, but it takes time and space and editorial labour and costs a lot of money to review that many movies,” he added.