The Academy has announced the postponement of the new popular film category at the annual Oscar awards ceremony. The award was just revealed last month.
The "outstanding achievement in popular film" category is set to recognize movies that are known widely by the people but not necessarily praised by critics. According to the Academy's CEO, Dawn Hudson, she knows that there is a need for more discussions with the members of the Academy about the proposal.
About The Category
The award was expected to be introduced in the upcoming 91st Oscars, which will be held in February 2019.
"The Academy recognized that implementing any new award nine months into the year creates challenges for films that have already been released," the Academy stated.
Furthermore, the announcement of the new Oscar category raised the eyebrows of many movie fans and critics around the world. People who are involved in the industry also wondered how the new category would greatly affect the films that garnered both critical and commercial success such as Black Panther.
Notably, the Marvel superhero movie was revealed as a possible contender for the award. However, critics of the award-giving body were afraid that its nomination for the category would overshadow its potential standing in winning the most prestigious Oscar award. Black Panther is the first traditional film about superheroes that was nominated for best picture.
Despite this, the Academy confirmed that films could both be nominated in the best picture and the popular film.
"There has been a wide range of reactions to the introduction of a new award, and we recognize the need for further discussion with our members," Hudson said.
Unclear Criteria
The Academy's Board of Governors made a decision to create the award last month. However, they did not specify how it would be determined. Until now, people are still blind as to how the Academy will determine eligible films or what voting process and criteria it would follow.
Additionally, the Academy is making an effort to raise the decreasing rating of the Oscars broadcast and to attract moviegoers. The award season also promises blockbuster movies such as the hit film Crazy Rich Asians airtime during its broadcast.
Moreover, the Academy confirmed that the show's running time will be around three hours. It has announced before that all the 24 categories of the awards will not be presented live. Around six to eight categories will be shown at the Dolby Theatre on commercial breaks. This will then be edited for the broadcast that will air later on.
