In opening up this year's field of Best Picture nominees to 10 contenders instead of five, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the first fundamental change to the most important award ceremony in the entertainment industry in decades.
It will have a major impact on the season that grips Hollywood from about September to February of every year -- and the reaction from the community was decidedly mixed.
While some thought it would be great for the town at large from a business perspective, others thought the decision will devalue a nomination.
“After more than six decades, the Academy is returning to some of its earlier roots, when a wider field competed for the top award of the year,” Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis announced Wednesday.
But in reality, the Academy has been under pressure to get better ratings for its telecast at a time when all awards shows have been struggling to compete with diminishing audiences.
This February's show, hosted by Hugh Jackman, was viewed by an estimated 36.3 million, up from the 2008 telecast by almost 5 million.
But Ganis said the Academy isn't satisfied. “China is now a market for the Oscar show,” he added. “It’s growing in certain segments around the world, and hopefully will continue to grow domestically.
Many -- including Ganis himself -- contend that the Academy's decision was in direct response to Warner Bros.’ smash "The Dark Knight" -- which made $1 billion worldwide and was critically lauded -- having been overlooked.
“We talked about everything,” Ganis said of the decision-making process. “I would not be telling you the truth if I didn’t say the words 'The Dark Knight' didn’t come up along the way. But other movies came up.”
Indie distributor Bob Berney thinks the decision to open up the process is a good one.
"The nomination is everything, and companies will be willing to risk a lot more to get that nomination," he said.
Berney has a lot riding on this decision himself because of his as-yet-untitled distribution company's Jane Campion release, "Bright Star."
"Bright Star" is a perfect example of a movie that may very well land a nomination and would therefore get a bigger push, which in turn would mean bigger box office and a higher profile.
But one Oscar voter who is producing major movies this year but wanted to speak off the record, said, "This is awful. It devalues the nomination. It could have an adverse effect if the ratings don't improve. The Oscars always had an exclusive feel, and that was one of the big appeals for fans and the industry at large."
While the studios get a chance to showcase some of their tentpoles, happiest about the decision clearly were the the indies ... and the trades, whose revenue in a down economy depends more than ever on the For Your Consideration ads that run from October until February.
