re: Here's why the Oscars have been falling in the ratings in recent years

A few things happened IMHO.

1. The business changed in the 70s when Spielberg and Lucas created the summer blockbuster. It really caught on in the 80s, which is where we see the first big departure of winner from where it ranked in grossing.

2. The awards scene shifted heavily circa 1995-1996 as the Miramax type of film started dominating the nominees. These films generally gross much lower than typical nominees so it raises the chances of a low grossing winner.

3. The home video revolution and the explosion of screens helped shorten the average run of a movie. It means anything which doesn’t get an immediate audience tends to fall out of release before anyone realizes it was there. Contrast this with the 70s when you had stuff playing at a theater year round. Movies had an ability to build a buzz and get people to come see it who weren’t out there in the first weekend.


I bet if someone went back and did all nominees for a year it would show a decided shift in grosses after the mid 70s and again come the mid 90s when you have stuff like Secrets And Lies getting nominated that hardly anyone ever watched.