You could see this one coming, with coronavirus leaving its insidious, invisible handprints all over the world. Its latest victim, Hollywood’s biggest night – the Oscars.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that the 93rd Academy Awards will no longer take place on February 28, 2021 as planned. They’re being rescheduled to April 25 next year.
And not only that, because of the current closure of movie theaters across the country, necessitating the theatrical rescheduling of motion pictures, the Academy extended the eligibility window for films, which usually corresponds to the calendar year.
Major summer blockbusters have already been moved back to the fall– or even next year.
For the 2021 Oscars, the new window will be extended until February 28, 2021.
Submission deadlines have also been pushed back and a one-time accommodation has been made for films that were digitally released that otherwise would have been in theaters.
“For over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring, and entertaining us during the darkest of times. They certainly have this year. Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our Awards date, is to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for something beyond anyone’s control,” said Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson in a joint statement.
The annual ceremony, telecast on ABC, is always one of the highest-rated live programming events of the year.
There’s no telling at this point whether the format will change as a result of the coronavirus.
“We find ourselves in uncharted territory this year and will continue to work with our partners at the Academy to ensure next year’s show is a safe and celebratory event that also captures the excitement of the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures,” said Karey Burke, president, ABC Entertainment.
The last time the Oscars were postponed was in 1981 in the aftermath of an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.
BAFTA has already announced a similar delay in its annual awards ceremony and other awards-giving entities including Critics Choice, Golden Globes, SAG, DGA and WGA are certain to follow suit in shifting their dates later in the calendar and extending their own eligibility periods.
The Motion Picture Academy has also delayed the opening of its Museum of Motion Pictures, which had been set to open on December 14, 2020 in Los Angeles. It will now open on April 30, 2021.
