The web has been baffled by the addition of a brand new rule to the Oscars voting course of — one which viewers had assumed was already a requirement.
In a Monday press launch, the Oscars’ governing physique introduced “Academy members should now watch all nominated movies in every class to be eligible to vote within the last spherical for the Oscars.”
The key change was amongst a handful of recent guidelines and rules authorised by the Academy’s Board of Governors.
Different substantive awards rule modifications embody a sign that generative synthetic intelligence used within the making of a undertaking will “neither assist nor hurt” a submission, in addition to an replace within the language used within the Worldwide Characteristic Movie class to now embody “filmmakers with refugee or asylum standing.”
But, it was the replace on voting eligibility that sparked an outcry on social media, with a number of X customers questioning how Oscars voters hadn’t already been required to observe the entire nominated films.
“The truth that this isn’t already the usual is INSANE,” one particular person wrote, with a second laughing: “No approach this wasn’t already a rule earlier than.”
A 3rd argued that whereas the change is “nice,” it’s lengthy overdue. “About rattling time,” a fourth agreed.
“You’re telling me all this time folks might simply watch one film and be like ‘yeah that ought to win all of the awards,’” one other added in disbelief.
Others went so far as to name for a revote for earlier Oscar winners below the brand new rule, with some declaring that previous Finest Image winners wouldn’t have triumphed if the rule had existed beforehand.
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“The Wild Robotic deserves justice,” one mentioned of final 12 months’s animated characteristic nominee that went on to lose the class to the Latvian indie movie, Stream.
In earlier years, nameless Oscars voters have admitted to not having watched the entire Finest Image contenders earlier than the ultimate spherical of voting.
“I’m bummed as a result of I haven’t seen The Substance or I’m Nonetheless Right here but,” one informed Entertainment Weekly forward of the latest ceremony. “The primary Dune, I couldn’t get via; I’m not speeding for an additional three hours of Dune. There’s nonetheless time to re-evaluate, however I actually struggled.”
The Academy’s voting physique is made up of fewer than 10,000 trade professionals who’re part of the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences.
Preliminary voting for the 2026 Oscars will happen this December from the eighth to the eleventh, adopted by nominations voting from January Twelfth-Sixteenth, 2026.
Then, nominations shall be introduced shortly thereafter on January 22, earlier than the ultimate voting interval opens on February 26 and closes on March 5.
The 2026 ceremony, which is able to welcome again former late-night host and comic Conan O’Brien because the emcee, will happen on March 15.
