Report: Academy Considering Change to Oscars’ Best Picture Category
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ABC(LOS ANGELES) — The Oscars’ best picture category may undergo a significant change. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is considering reverting back to its old policy of five nominees in the category.
The top Oscar race had been comprised of five nominees for decades until 2009, when the Academy announced it would expand to 10. A couple of years later, the Academy adjusted the rules so that the category would include between five and 10 nominees.
The idea was to have more box office hits contend for best picture, but as one Hollywood Reporter source says of the current format, “They tried it, and it really didn’t do us any good.”
The audience for the 2015 Oscars was down several million viewers from last year’s ceremony.
An Academy spokesperson tells the publication, “As we do each year, the Academy will meet in the coming months to evaluate not only the telecast, but also the awards season in its entirety.”
There were eight best picture nominees this year, with Birdman winning the category.
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