Fantasy-drama “The Shape of Water” has defeated a group of strong contenders and taken home the best picture title at yesterday’s 90th Academy Awards. This year’s best-picture nominees included immediate box-office hits “Get Out,” “Dunkirk” and “The Post.” A number of the them, however, including winner “The Shape of Water,” weren't released widely to the public until much later.

It’s part of some studios’ strategy to release their films slowly, building on word of mouth and, indeed, award nominations. Unlike a “wide release,” in which a new film opens in more than 1,500 theaters on the same weekend, a “platform release” of a film means it will typically open in fewer than 50 theaters to start.