The rules will be changed only for the 93rd Academy Awards, in February.
Photo: frederic j. brown/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesLOS ANGELES—The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it expanded the eligibility rules for the Oscars to include films that weren’t released in cinemas because of the nationwide shutdown of movie theaters.
For the first—and, the Academy said, only—time, a movie that was available just for streaming will be able to contend for best picture and other prizes.
The change, prompted by the coronavirus-driven closure of auditoriums, represents a practical and philosophical leap for the Academy, which has maintained strict eligibility rules for its flagship awards. Now movies that were scheduled for theatrical release but are instead distributed on digital platforms will be eligible in major categories.
The rules will be changed only for the 93rd Academy Awards, scheduled for Feb. 28, 2021, the Academy said.
“The Academy firmly believes there is no greater way to experience the magic of movies than to see them in a theater,” the organization said in a written statement. “Our commitment to that is unchanged and unwavering.”
Since theaters closed in March, more than a dozen studio offerings that were supposed to play on the big screen have been released on digital platforms or on streaming services. The titles so far have included the animated sequel “Trolls World Tour” and the coming Judd Apatow comedy “The King of Staten Island.”
More titles are expected to follow a similar distribution route as theaters remain closed for the foreseeable future.
In recent years, the Academy’s stance toward streaming movies has been controversial. Executives who advocate expanding the Oscars’ field to include movies released only, for instance, on Netflix or Amazon Prime say the organization is ignoring changing consumer habits. Others say safeguarding the big-screen experience is an essential component of the Academy’s mission.
‘The King of Staten Island,’ with Pete Davidson, is among the films that were supposed to play on the big screen and have been released on digital platforms or on streaming services.
Photo: Mary Cybulski/Associated PressThe tension has been most scrutinized with regard to Netflix Inc., which has received numerous Oscar nominations for movies such as “Roma” and “The Irishman” that have primarily been viewed at home. Under a requirement that was temporarily suspended Tuesday, Netflix has had to book those movies for brief theatrical runs so they can contend for the prizes.
The new rules will also qualify movies that studios such as Walt Disney Co. and Comcast Corp. ’s Universal Pictures are sending straight to digital platforms or their own streaming services.
The Academy said the rule changes are in effect only until theaters reopen. Until then, studios hoping to get their movies seen by voters must upload them to a streaming site accessible only to Academy members.
“I’m really pleased the Academy saw fit to make an exception, and this is coming from [a] company that wholly believes in cinema,” said Tom Quinn, chief executive of Neon, the independent label that distributed this year’s best-picture winner, “Parasite.” “But this is an extenuating circumstance and to their credit, they did the right thing.”
—R.T. Watson contributed to this article.
Write to Erich Schwartzel at erich.schwartzel@wsj.com
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