Oscar can't quite let that "Popular Movie Oscar" idea go...
Monday, February 14, 2022 at 4:34PM 
While the "Popular Movie" Oscar idea the Academy Awards floated a few years ago was met with immediate backlash, Oscar can't quite let the idea go. Their latest attempt at populism to increase ratings is to incorporate Twitter users into the ceremony via a "Twitter Fan Vote"... and that begins today. Whichever movie gets the most votes with the hashtag #OscarsFanFavoritee will be honored on the Broadcast, though it thankfully won't be getting an official statue. A fan favourite scene will also be played on Oscar night via the hashtag #OscarsCheerMoment. All of which seems like an excuse to show a clip of Andrew Garfield walking through a magical portal into Spider-Man No Way Home which they could do anyway since the movie is up for Best Visual Effects. Plus Oscar ceremonies would always be wise to include a montage of the past year in film.
The second part of this is ultra specific and odd. Three twitter users who vote this year will get an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to present an Oscar at the 95th Oscars in 2023. Why anyone but their family would want to watch three random civilians present an Oscar when we there are hundreds of bonafide celebrities in the room we could be watching instead is beyond us.
Oscar Ceremonies, Oscars (21), Spider-Man, Twitter
Reader Comments (14)
I hope something like Pool Party Boys Gone Wild, Part 4 is able to win the thing.
This is one place where I can see the Little Monsters coming through. I have to imagine House of Gucci will get a ton of votes. Who knows, maybe the scene of Gaga and Driver in coitus will win best scene?!
In all seriousness, this is very silly and no matter how the votes happen, it's going to be a clip of Spiderman. However, I did cast my vote for Parallel Mothers.
In all seriousness, this seems...fine. This always happens anyway through a silly montage where we get a lot of scenes from a film that was big, even if it's not particularly loved by the Academy. The fact that they're engaging users in this way, especially given how online fandoms are means we'll get a few minutes of silliness at the ceremony.
No popular film awards. Seriously. It was a bad idea that never went off the ground and never should be discussed again. Do they want to be like the Grammys where they give awards to shitty music?
After not seeing any mention in the rules about wardrobe provided by the house of Alexander McQueen, I lost interest.
THEY WILL NOT WATCH REGARDLESS lol so damn tired of the Academy's desperation. It's been said before, much more eloquently, but the Oscars will never ever ever ever get above bad-to-mediocore ratings, just make the show for the obsessive cinephiles that watch religiously every year. Spider Man NWH has been rewarded with 1.7 BILLION DOLLARS in box office returns, currently the 6th highest grossing film of all time. Let's celebrate the Drive My Cars and the Power of the Dogs and the Licorice Pizzas rightfully and let the super hero trash make the money. I know there are Spider Man fans out there but you're bonkers if you think that film belongs ANYWHERE in a best picture lineup. Apologies to Sasha Stone (and anyone here) - it just drives me fucking nuts.
Save this nonsense for the MTV Movie Awards. It’s just ABC’s lame attempt to boost ratings for the under 30 crowd.
Everyone in America can vote on which movies they prefer ... isn't that just the box office?
Agreed with Greg - this will do nothing to boost ratings. I wish the Oscars would stop trying with this crap - it doesn't pull in new viewers and alienates those who do.
LMFAO and these whole things will only take a minute of the show
I'm with Fadhil. This just seems like - not a big deal? Just a little bit of fun added to the ceremony. The only downside I can see is that, if successful, it could lead to renewed discussions about the dreaded Most Popular Film Oscar. But I'm guessing it'll just be fluff.
interesting combo, could nicely play off each other if written well. Clearly a diversity play, which we like. And what's with the Amy Schumer bashing?
Nothing is in the right place anymiore.
As long as it’s not for an actual Oscar statue and it doesn’t take time away from any actual Oscar winners’ speeches, I don’t think this is the worst thing they could do. I’m just worried this is testing the grounds for a new rule next year whereby one of the Best Picture nominees will be decided by a fan vote. That, for me, would be the jumping the shark moment for the Oscars I’ve long feared they might do out of desperation.
But also, this being done on Twitter, wouldn’t it be hilarious if some people got a hashtag trending for a movie other than Spider-Man to “win” this, and it actually resulted in this segment being devoted to, say, Space Jam: A New Legacy? Make the Academy see how ridiculous this idea is immediately before they turn it into an actual method of nominating movies for Oscars.
This really isn't a big deal - every year they make questionable choices that feel like aimless, out of touch, desperate attempts to boost ratings... lol. So this sounds about right!
Alright, peeps, this is your cue to go to Twitter and vote for POWER OF THE DOG as your fan favorite.