Has ‘The Slap’ ignited interest in the sweltering Oscars? Or after last year’s ratings surge, is television broadcasting doomed to re– rebound to a new low?
After a steady decline that, over a decade, saw its viewership plummet by 74% (to an all-time low of 10.4 million viewers in 2021), Oscars viewership jumped in 2022with a TV show that brought back the concept of host(s) and, yes, featured a physical fight at 10 p.m. between Will Smith and Chris Rock.
In total, last year’s telecast drew 16.6 million total viewers (in Live + Same Day figures), up 60% from the final tally for 2021 – although still the second smallest audience Oscars ever recorded. In the demo, the NBC show rose 73%, with a 3.8 rating.
This year’s ceremony is hosted by three-time Jimmy Kimmel and will air on ABC (but is not livestreamed anywhere), and high-profile nominees include Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of the Water and rewards darling Everything everywhere all at once.
Will audiences increase again for filmdom’s biggest night? Or return to its pandemic-era slump? Review and consider the factors listed below, then vote in this poll (click here if the poll is not visible):
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THE HOST
Image credit: Courtesy of ABC
PRO: Jimmy Kimmel has dominated Hollywood’s Biggest Night twice before, and is known for not holding back or playing favorites when he lets the zingers fly. Plus, compared to last year’s hosting triumvirate of Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall and (sometimes polarizing) Amy Schumer, there are bound to be fewer awkward banter.
AGAINST : The last time Kimmel hosted, in 2018, he attempted several time-consuming stunts, including this absolute moan where a group of stars snuck into a theater across the street. That year’s Oscars ended up showing what was the ceremony’s smallest audience at the time: 26.5 million viewers.
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THE NOMINEES
Image credit: “Everything, everywhere, at once” (courtesy of A24)
Everything everywhere all at once leads the pack this year with 11 nominations, including a Best Picture nomination. In the west, nothing is new And The Banshees of Inisherin were also well recognized, each amassing nine nominations.
PRO: There’s drama surrounding this year’s Best Picture race, with legit box office megahits like Top Gun: Maverick And Avatar: The Way of the Water take on the ambitious and the buzzy Everything everywhere all at once (which has won many awards in recent months).
In the Best Actress category, it’s about whether Michelle Yeoh (WEEOO) will continue to ride his wave of recent victories, or get beaten by Cate Blanchett or – in what would draw the biggest gasp of the night – To Leslie‘s Andrea Riseborough, whose grassroots campaign strategy has been accused of breaking Academy rules.
The supporting actress race, meanwhile, is poised to give us either the MCU’s first winner (wakanda forever‘s Angela Bassett) or see WEEOO‘s Jamie Lee Curtis is getting some well-deserved kudos amidst a storytelling career.
AGAINST : Each category is presented on stage this year, live, while last year’s telecast (unsuccessfully) experimented with pre-recording and splicing in some of the most niche categories.
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NO “FAN FAVORITE FILM” AWARDS THIS YEAR
Image Credit: “Army of the Dead” (Netflix)
In a desperate attempt to attract otherwise disinterested and uninvested gazes, the 2022 Oscars included the announcement of the winner of a “Fan Favorite Movie” award, as voted for via Twitter. Zack Snyder’s Zombie Movie army of the dead won the inaugural award, not an Oscar, while a similar “Oscars Cheer Moment” for fans went to Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
The dining experience for the masses was seen as a huge dud, not helped at all by a report that online bot voting fueled Snyder’s double win.
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THE PRESENTERS
Image Credit: Getty Images (TVLine photo illustration)
Halle Berry, Paul Dano, Cara Delevingne, Harrison Ford, Kate Hudson, Mindy Kaling, Eva Longoria, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Andie MacDowell, Elizabeth Olsen, Pedro Pascal, John Travolta, Riz Ahmed will present the nominees and present the gold this year . , Halle Bailey, Antonio Banderas, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Ariana DeBose, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Salma Hayek Pinault, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Nicole Kidman, Troy Kotsur, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Florence Pugh, Questlove, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Donnie Yen.
PRO: You have to recognize 90% of these people!
THE BIG QUESTION: Who will present the Best Actress Oscar, which is usually handled by the previous year’s Best Actor winner – who in this case is the ceremony’s outcast Will Smith? The Academy keeps this surprise.
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ENTERTAINMENT
Image Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
PRO: Four of the songs nominated this year must be performed: “Lift Me Up” by Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (performed by Rihanna), “This Is a Life” by Everything everywhere all at once (performed by Stephanie Hsu, David Byrne and Son Lux), “Naatu Naatu” by RRR (performed by Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava) and “Applause” by say it like a woman (performed by Sofia Carson and Diane Warren). Additionally, Lenny Kravitz will deliver the performance “In Memoriam.”
AGAINST : Due to his busy schedule filming the sequel to The Joker and having no time to prepare, Lady Gaga will not perform “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick. It’s not yet known if another performer will sing the tune or if Gaga will still attend the ceremony.
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HAS ‘THE SLAP’ AWAKENED INTEREST?
Image credit: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
PRO: As offensive as Will Smith’s physical assault on presenter Chris Rock was in 2022, it reignited the idea that “Anything can happen!” at a live awards show – even one as sultry as the Oscars. How will host Jimmy Kimmel address or parody the infamous incident?
AGAINST : Over 12 months later, is there anything else to say or joke about The Slap? Anything? And yet, someone who goes on stage Sunday night is going to try. We groan preemptively.
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