‘Best Popular Film’ is Officially Not a Popular Idea…For Now

Whelp. That didn’t last long.

You may remember the Oscars took a gander at their ratings and realized the movies winning all the awards weren’t what one would call a “blockbuster” at the box office. Those artsy-fartsy movies that, while superbly acted and dynamically constructed (most of the time), are usually released the day after Christmas in select cities giving America this wide-stretching feeling of malaise and meh as the winner for the Bests are called.

And so, Oscar had an epiphany to create the “Best Popular Picture” to pander to nerds, since most of the near billion-dollar productions feature people we read in comic books.

The Matrix had an opinion or two about that, if you missed it.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) really thought they had a golden idea. And now, it’s not that popular any more, as Oscar cancels his plan to reveal the category in 2019 less than a month later. 

“The Academy recognized that implementing any new award nine months into the year creates challenges for films that have already been released,” the body said in a statement. “The Board of Governors continues to be actively engaged in discussions, and will examine and seek additional input regarding this category.”

No. What they “recognized” was the vitriol spewing and the crap hurled in AMPAS’ direction when they announced this half-baked idea. It’s hard for those hoity-toity types to watch Black Panther and think “Ya’ know? There’s some really good acting in here.” (Again, we had an opinion or two on that as well.)

So, to assuage the angst of people who buy most of the movie tickets out there, Oscar created the kid’s table during the Thanksgiving feast that is the Academy Awards. Not so much.

“There has been a wide range of reactions to the introduction of a new award, and we recognize the need for further discussion with our members,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “We have made changes to the Oscars over the years—including this year—and we will continue to evolve while also respecting the incredible legacy of the last 90 years.”

Nice try, Oscar, you cagey old fart. Guess you realized with “further discussion” that more than Marvel believes the Ryan Coogler film is worthy of more than a consolation prize.

Maybe someday in 2019, Oscar’s peeps will too.

The 91st Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019.