Changes to Oscars’ Best Picture Rules Pose New Obstacle for Indie Filmmakers

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has announced rule changes for the Best Picture Award that are expected to impact indie filmmakers and streaming films. The AMPAS hosts the Academy Awards annually, and its awards are considered among the highest and most prestigious honors one can receive in the film industry. Of all the awards, the most coveted is the Best Picture award. As the name suggests, the Best Picture goes to the one picture considered to be the best feature film of the year and is always the final award of the show.

So even though these new changes impact only the Best Picture category, they are still quite significant as it’s the one category that every filmmaker strives to be eligible for. However, the changes, which create additional requirements for a theatrical run, aren’t expected to impact each player in the film industry equally. Movies from studios like Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, or Sony won’t have a problem finding homes in theaters in the required number of markets for the required length of time. Smaller independent filmmakers, though, may very well struggle to round up the resources necessary to nab distribution agreements.

Best Picture rule changes explained

The biggest change the AMPAS is putting in place is a new requirement that films must have a two-week theatrical run in 10 of the United States’ top 50 markets to be eligible for the Best Picture award. This is a big departure from the previous rule, in which films only had to have a weeklong theatrical run in at least one of the six major cities in The United States (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, or Miami)—and even that rule got major pushback from streaming platforms looking to get into the prestige film arena.

The two-week run can be consecutive or non-consecutive but must be fulfilled within 45 days of the film’s release. Films released late in 2024 must complete the requirement by January 24, 2025. Meanwhile, up to two of the 10 markets can be international as long as they are among the top 15 international markets.

The impact of the Best Picture rule changes

As touched on above, streamers and independent filmmakers will be most impacted by this rule change. This is because, with the rise of streaming, some platforms have chosen to forego the box office. From Netflix to Apple TV+ to Disney+, streamers releasing films with Oscar potential tend to have very limited theatrical releases before moving on to streaming. Coda, for example, had a theatrical run that just barely met the current Best Pictures requirements. The film made history in 2021 as the first streaming film to win Best Picture, but it wouldn’t have been eligible for the award under the new rules.

While the changes will likely throw a wrench in streamers’ plans, most streaming platforms have the resources to extend their theatrical runs if necessary. The same can’t be said of indie filmmakers, though. Independent filmmakers with small budgets simply can’t invest as much into distribution as established studios can.

The major reason for the change is that AMPAS wants to reinforce its support of the theater. The Academy’s executive director Bill Kramer stated, “We hope this change will increase the visibility of films worldwide and encourage audiences to experience our art in theatres.” However, one must question if this change was really necessary and appropriate. Streaming has drastically changed the film industry and while not all the changes are objectively good, the most beneficial changes were changing how people watch movies and making films accessible to a broader audience. It also created far more opportunities for filmmakers, who no longer had to fret over needing a seven-figure budget to contend at the box office when their works had a home on a streaming platform for countless subscribers.

Also, despite no longer being deemed a public health emergency, COVID-19 is still very much around, and many individuals will continue taking preventive measures for their safety. Ushering everyone into the theater and insisting films can only be fully experienced in theaters seems to disregard the ongoing issue and the necessity for audiences to have the option to view films in whatever manner is most comfortable for them.

(via Deadline, featured image: Matt Petit – Handout/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images)