AMC Won't Screen Netflix's 'Roma' in Oscars Best Picture Showcase

AMC Theatres

Netflix broke new ground on Tuesday, earning its first Oscar nomination for best picture with Alfonso Cuaron’s black-and-white epic, “Roma.” But that wasn’t enough for AMC Theatres, one of the streamer’s biggest rivals.

The theater chain, the largest in the country, along with Regal Cinemas, said on Tuesday that it will not show “Roma” as part of their yearly best picture showcases.

“For more than a decade, movie-lovers have enjoyed the AMC best picture showcase to catch up on the nominated films that played at AMC throughout the prior year,” the company said in a statement. “This year, Academy members nominated a film that was never licensed to AMC to play in our theatres. As such, it is not included in the AMC best picture showcase.”

Also Read: 'Roma' Nabs Netflix its First Best Picture Oscar Nomination

We love hosting the AMC Best Picture Showcase and look forward to bringing our guests the nominated movies that played at AMC throughout the year. As this film was never licensed to us to play in theatres, it is not included in the BPS lineup.

— AMC Theatres (@AMCTheatres) January 22, 2019

Netflix and AMC have long been at each other’s throats. Until last year, Netflix remained a staunch advocate for day and date releases, only picking select films to receive theatrical runs. AMC, on the other hand, has fought hard to protect exclusive theatrical windows and lift up the value of a movie ticket.

A spokesperson for Netflix declined to comment.

In 2018, Netflix decided to buck against its traditional approach, and give “Roma,” “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” and “Bird Box” theatrical runs in select theaters ahead of their Netflix debuts.

For its efforts, Netflix was able to earn 10 nominations for “Roma,” including for best director, lead actress and original screenplay. The streamer also nabbed three nominations for “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.”

Also Read: AMC Entertainment Posts $100 Million Q3 Loss, Stock Tanks 9 Percent

Once Oscar nominations are revealed, theater chains, including AMC, Regal and Cinemark — the country’s three largest chains — typically announce their annual best-picture showcases, giving audiences that missed the films a chance to see them ahead of the Oscar ceremony.

Because “Roma” was not released in their theaters, Regal and AMC will not screen the film.

“The Regal Best Picture Film Festival showcases the Best Picture nominees that played in our theatres in 2018,” the company said in a statement. “For that reason, ‘Roma,’ a movie predominantly shown on TV, will not be included in our festival.”

A spokesman for Cinemark did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

Oscar Nominations 2019: Biggest Snubs and Surprises, From Yalitza Aparicio to Mister Rogers (Photos)

Hollywood awards gurus -- like our own beloved Steve Pond -- have gotten Oscar prognostication down almost to a science. But that doesn't mean that the Academy doesn't throw us a curveball every year. Here are the nominations that were the biggest surprises, and the snubs that burned the most.
SNUB: "If Beale Street Could Talk" (Best Picture) -- Barry Jenkins' beautiful adaptation of James Baldwin's novel by the same name did not mesmerize Academy voters. Jenkins did earn a nomination for adapted screenplay, with the film's score and supporting actress Regina King also earning nods but the film was snubbed for Best Picture as only eight of the possible ten nomination slots were used.
Annapurna
SURPRISE: Pawel Pawlikowski, "Cold War" (Best Director) -- The foreign language category will contribute two nominees to the Best Director field, as the Polish Pawlikowski joins Mexican frontrunner Alfonso Cuaron in a field that also includes Adam McKay, Spike Lee, and Yorgos Lanthimos.
Getty Images
SNUB: Bradley Cooper, "A Star Is Born" (Best Director) -- But one person who was considered a contender to earn a nomination for his directorial debut was left off the list, as Bradley Cooper will have to settle for a Best Actor nomination for his work on the third remake of "A Star Is Born."
Getty Images
SURPRISE: Marina De Tavira, "Roma" (Best Supporting Actress) -- De Tavira nabbed a best supporting actress nomination for her role as Sra. Sofía in Alfonso Cuaron's "Roma." The film is beloved by critics and was expected to garner a bounty of nominations, but De Tavira had not been projected to grab one of them for her performance as the weary, neglected matriarch of the family that Yalitza Aparicio's Cleo works for.
Netflix
SNUB: "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" (Best Documentary Feature) -- Morgan Neville's sentimental look back at the life and career of Fred Rogers tugged on the heartstrings of many last summer, and it was thought to be a shoo-in for this year's Oscars. Shockingly, it was left off the final nomination list, with "Of Fathers and Sons" joining category favorites "RBG" and "Free Solo" on the list instead.
Focus Features
SURPRISE: Willem Dafoe, "At Eternity's Gate" (Best Actor) -- Nearly every year, there's a surprise leading performance that sneaks onto the nominations list after being championed by critics on the indie circuit. This year's surprise is Dafoe, earning his fourth Oscar nomination and first for a lead performance as Vincent Van Gogh in the troubled painter's final days.
CBS Films
SNUB: Ethan Hawke, "First Reformed" (Best Actor) -- Paul Schrader earned an Oscar nomination for his screenplay of this breathtaking drama. But despite critical acclaim, Hawke will not get a nod for his gripping performance as a priest wrestling with the existential despair of climate change.
TheWrap
SURPRISE: Yalitza Aparicio, "Roma" (Best Actress) -- Several awards predictors said there was a good chance the "Roma" star could earn a nomination for her powerful performance as Cleo. But it is still a big feat to earn a spot alongside the likes of Lady Gaga and Glenn Close
TheWrap
SNUB: Toni Collette, "Hereditary" (Best Actress) -- When the devastating horror film "Hereditary" hit theaters last summer, Collette's performance as a grief-stricken mother earned her a wave of fans demanding she get Oscar consideration. Sadly, the buzz around her and the film could not keep momentum into awards season.
A24

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“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” is out, and Willem Dafoe and Marina De Tavira are in

Hollywood awards gurus -- like our own beloved Steve Pond -- have gotten Oscar prognostication down almost to a science. But that doesn't mean that the Academy doesn't throw us a curveball every year. Here are the nominations that were the biggest surprises, and the snubs that burned the most.

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