New Oscar category honoring popular films will be part of 2019 ceremony

Andrea Mandell | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Academy adds new Oscars category: popular film The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences said Wednesday it is creating a new category to honor “achievement in popular film.”

The Oscars are shaking things up in a big way.

On Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it will acknowledge the impact of major blockbusters in future broadcasts.

That's right: For once, box-office hits like "Star Wars" and "Wonder Woman" actually have a shot.

"Change is coming to the #Oscars," the Academy tweeted. "Here's what you need to know: A new category is being designed around achievement in popular film."

The Academy confirmed that a film could be eligible for an Oscar in the new "popular" category as well as best picture. Details are still being finalized for the category, which will be introduced at the 91st Oscars telecast on Feb. 24, 2019.

"We have heard from many of you about improvements needed to keep the Oscars and our Academy relevant in a changing world," Academy president John Bailey and CEO Dawn Hudson wrote in a memo sent to members and obtained by USA TODAY. "The Board of Governors took this charge seriously. We are excited about these steps, and look forward to sharing more details with you."

Flashback: It's time to create an Academy Award for best blockbuster

The Academy has a history of turning its back on blockbuster fare. As superhero franchises have taken over Hollywood, neither Marvel or DC films have been able to break into the awards, save for the technical categories.

The Oscars famously snubbed recent hits like "Wonder Woman," "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," "Deadpool," "Girls Trip" and "Finding Dory." (There are occasional exceptions: James Cameron's 2009 hit "Avatar" made it all the way to a best picture nomination.)

But backlash began brewing as soon as the plan to honor "popular" fare was announced.

#OscarsSoStupid: Why a best blockbuster Academy Award is a horrendous idea

"Oh, I see. We're going to make official the division where one kind of movie is popular and the other kind is good. That seems like a great idea, by which I mean: what a disaster," wrote NPR's Linda Holmes.

Oh, I see. We're going to make official the division where one kind of movie is popular and the other kind is good. That seems like a great idea, by which I mean: what a disaster. — Linda Holmes (@lindaholmes) August 8, 2018

"It will have the same effect as the Animated/Documentary/Foreign Language categories, where movies are essentially ghettoized from winning “the real award,” wrote Vox.com critic Todd VanDerWerff. "If a blockbuster is good, Nominate It For Best Picture."

The Academy literally = Will Forte as Kelly. pic.twitter.com/T3djwwkhc1 — Courtney Enlow (@courtenlow) August 8, 2018

Many critics pointed out that seminal films like "Black Panther," Hollywood's groundbreaking African-American-led superhero blockbuster, could now be relegated to the new bucket of simply popular fare.

"This is a bad idea borne from fear of irrelevance but no real drive to change. Also you bring this in the year of Black Panther? Subtle," tweeted ScreenRant contributor Kayleigh Donaldson.

"As for a 'popular film' award, it is a ghetto and will be perceived that way. Imagine if they instituted it this year: "Oh, It's lovely that the rabble went to Black Panther -- here's a special fake Oscar it can win!" This is just a head-slapper on all counts," tweeted Vulture contributor Mark Harris.

“The Black Panther Memorial Award for Movie That We’re Afraid Won’t Get a Best Picture Nomination” — David Sims (@davidlsims) August 8, 2018

As Hollywood's most esteemed film organization turned its back on popular fare, ratings for the Oscars plummeted.

Continuing a recent trend, ratings for this year's Jimmy Kimmel-hosted show dropped to a record low of 26.5 million viewers.

The previous record low of 32 million was set in 2008 when the drama "No Country for Old Men" won best picture, which came after an 11-week Hollywood writers' strike that crippled other awards shows.

When James Cameron's blockbuster "Titanic" won best picture and 10 other awards in 1998, more than 55 million viewers watched the Oscar telecast. When "Moonlight" won best picture in 2017, only 33 million viewers tuned in. The difference in worldwide box office for these two films was $2 billion vs. $65 million respectively.

"The movies highlighted at the Oscars are definitely one of the factors in ratings, especially when you have a movie like 'Titanic,' " says IMDb.com correspondent Dave Karger. "But I don’t feel it’s fair to lay all the blame on the decline of Oscar ratings on the movies. And it's a sad day when the Academy panders to hits just to get higher ratings, which is a bit of my fear."

The big winners at this year's Oscars – "The Shape of Water" ($64 million), which took home best picture, and "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" ($54 million), which won acting honors for Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell – saw limited box-office success domestically.

This year's broadcast also struggled with tone, as it grappled with both the #MeToo movement and the embarrassing 2017 fiasco where presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway flubbed the best-picture award by announcing that "La La Land" had won when the actual winner was "Moonlight."

But ratings problems are not limited to the Oscars. February's Grammy Awards on CBS dropped 24%, to 19.8 million viewers, while the Golden Globes drew 19 million on NBC in January, a 5% drop.

"It’s as much declining television ratings in general. The Oscars still are the top non-sports telecast of the year," says Karger.

On Wednesday, the Academy also announced that the show is moving up on the awards calendar. "We've set an earlier airdate for 2020: mark your calendars for February 9," it wrote. In addition, "we're planning a more globally accessible, three-hour telecast." (By contrast, the 2018 show clocked in at 3 hours, 50 minutes.)

In its letter to members, the Academy explained it will begin to "present select categories live, in the Dolby Theatre, during commercial breaks (categories to be determined). The winning moments will then be edited and aired later in the broadcast."

Contributing: Gary Levin, Bryan Alexander and Brian Truitt