Oscars 2022: Five hotspots driving viewership numbers – BBC News

But now that TikTok, YouTube and online streaming have flourished, the most important annual show in the movie entertainment industry has increasingly lost its past appeal and influence.

“The biggest challenge is getting people to watch,” said Will Packer, the producer of this year’s ceremony. “We had to offer something different, something that would be interesting to people outside the film industry, and the average moviegoer in general.”

Striking a balance between boosting viewership and maintaining the traditional prestige of the Oscars is no easy task, and here are five hotspots that the organizers of this year’s Academy Awards hope to capture.

A movie without a star would be eclipsed, but luckily this year’s Oscars have several heavyweight movie stars vying for the big prize.

Will Smith, who never won an Oscar, is a favorite for best actor this year for his performance in the tennis biopic “King Richard,” in which he plays America’s tennis sisters Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena Williams.

As early as last September, Richard Lawson, a contributor to Vanity Fair magazine, said, “I don’t see anyone who has a better chance of winning, and it feels like the time is right. The movie is right, the theme is right, he’s doing it well, it’s fun and serious, and the Oscars love live-action stories.”

If Will Smith does win the Best Actor award, it’s also the Oscars’ statement that films and movie stars are back after two years of cinema closures due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Nicole Kidman, Olivia Colman, Jessica Chastain, Penelope Cruz and Kristin Stewart (Kristen Stewart) and many other actresses nominated for Best Actress also added more stars to the Oscars.

But predicting who will win is more difficult, and the current favorite is Jessica Chastain.

In addition to the film stars participating in the competition, the ceremony also invited many well-known red stars to award awards, including Lady Gaga, Liu Simu who played Shang-Chi, Zoe Kravitz who played Batman ), and Ukrainian-born Mila Kunis.

The Oscars after 2018 have no host, and the Golden Globes have adopted the same strategy and have been quite successful, but without the host, they also missed some opportunities for humorous laughter and monologue.

However, it is not easy to find someone who is willing to host the Oscars. On the one hand, there are conflicting schedules for entertainers, and on the other hand, many big-name artists are also worried that they will screw up the awards ceremony.

This year’s Oscars will feature three hosts, Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes.

Although the three hosts are not international superstars, they are not unknown. Amy Schumer has long boasted that everyone should be ready, and they will definitely raise a topic at the awards ceremony and make everyone unforgettable.

She said, “I’m going to give myself some trouble. Wanda and Regina are so hilarious, and we were hilarious during rehearsal.”

“I don’t know who decided to ask me to host, but I will definitely make them regret it very much, and it will be too late for them to regret it.”

Perhaps the most intriguing addition this year is the “Fan Favorite” award, which is meant to bring more mainstream films to the Oscars.

Without this audience-voted award, the top-grossing films of 2021 include Spider-Man: No Way Home and No Time To Die , there is no chance of appearing at the Oscars.

Oscar organizers said the addition of the fan favorite award will help attract more young people from the digital generation to participate in the Oscars, which will be open for two weeks for audiences to vote.

Online voting stipulates that people can vote up to 20 times a day, which also means that people can organize voting or mobilize fans to vote. Judging from the current voting situation, this does indeed play a role in allowing more people to vote.

While Spider-Man currently has the upper hand, Camila Cabello’s Cinderella and Johnny Depp’s Minamata ) may cause people to break through the glasses and finally win.

Among the 23 awards this year, eight awards will be pre-recorded to save time for live broadcasts and avoid too long award ceremonies.

The main awards are given live, with only a few technical categories, such as best editing, sound effects and production design, being pre-recorded.

In terms of specific arrangements, the finalists for these technical awards will be seated an hour before the ceremony, pre-recorded awards, and the edited awards video will then be broadcast on the televised awards ceremony.

“We must take into account the audience in front of the TV, increase the number of viewers and maintain interest in the awards ceremony,” the ceremony organizers said.

However, some people in the film industry disagreed with such an arrangement, believing that film art is a collective creation that requires the contributions of all people.

One of the songs that became popular all over the world last year was from a Disney music animation movie, and this year’s Oscars also arranged live performances.

The voice actors of “Encanto” will perform their hit song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” live for the first time at the awards ceremony, organizers announced.

Although “Full House” was nominated for Best Original Film Score for another song, it didn’t matter, everyone was waiting for a live performance of “Don’t Mention Bruno” sung by 10 movie characters. What an unexpected picture.

The topic of declining Oscars viewership is a constant every year, and the lower the viewership, the higher the calls for change.

Last year, the number of TV viewers at the awards ceremony hit a record low, with only 10 million people watching the live broadcast, but considering the new crown epidemic in the world in 2020, and only a few movies are released, the awards ceremony in 2021 can not actually be used as a basis for judgment.

This year, COVID-19 restrictions have been eased, awards ceremonies have returned to normal, and the Oscars organizers have gone all out to boost viewership, hoping to return to pre-pandemic levels, even surpassing the 23.6 million viewers seen in 2000.

But others have questioned whether the Oscars need to go the popular route.

Actor Seth Rogen said, “I don’t understand why filmmakers care so much about people watching our awards show. I don’t care who wins the car award, but I can still drive!”

Even some former Oscar winners don’t attend the ceremony, “Don’t Look Up” actor Mark Rylance said, “It doesn’t necessarily mean something great, but It’s nice to celebrate.”

The Oscars ceremony was held on March 27.