• Viral badge
  • Oscars badge

People Are Calling The Oscars "A Joke" After They Just Made A Rule That Academy Members Now Have To Watch All Oscar Nominees Before Voting In Categories

"This honestly makes me question the integrity of previous Oscar wins."

Hot Topic
🔥 Full coverage and conversation on the Oscars

The Academy just implemented a few new rules for the Oscars, and people are wondering why one in particular wasn't mandatory in the first place.

Golden statuettes lined up against a blue curtain, commonly known as awards given in the film industry

"Academy members must now watch all nominated films in each category to be eligible to vote in the final round for the Oscars," the official press release stated. This rule was confirmed on Monday by the group's Board of Governors.

Four individuals holding awards, dressed in formal attire, posing on a red carpet

Currently, proof that a film has been watched is tracked on Academy Screening Room — an internal service where voting members can screen titles.

"There is also a 'seen elsewhere' form that members will need to submit before finals voting," a statement sent to Entertainment Weekly read. "If you have not viewed a title, the award category will be inaccessible (greyed). For the specialty categories, we will still require viewing in prelims and noms as usual. For this year, we will now require viewing in finals voting for all categories and all voting members."

Oscar statue in front of a curtain backdrop at an awards event
Hot Topic
The Oscars have finally arrived! Keep up with the losers, winners, and best dressed celebs right here.
Check out our Oscars coverage

In its 97 years of existence, it was never a requirement for members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to watch all of the nominated films in a category before casting their vote. According to the Hollywood Reporter, members were asked not to vote if they hadn't reviewed all of the nominees. The process ultimately followed an "honor system."

Actor in a strapless gown reacts dramatically while seated at an awards event, with others on chairs nearby

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time we've heard similar rumblings about their unorthodox voting system. Anonymous voters have broken their silence in recent years, revealing their reason for leaving some films unwatched or even ignored completely.

Two people sitting at an event; one in a textured suit with glasses, the other in a dramatic gown with a large bow and necklace

"I'm bummed because I haven't seen The Substance or I'm Still Here yet. The first Dune, I couldn't get through; I'm not rushing for another three hours of Dune. There's still time to re-evaluate, but I really struggled," one director told Entertainment Weekly.

Two people at a formal event. The person on the left wears a yellow suit, and the person on the right wears a black dress. They are in a crowded setting

While a casting director added, "I haven’t seen The Brutalist yet. I’m planning to see it, and from what little I saw [already], it’s similar to The Pianist, and [Adrien Brody] already got his Oscar for that. So, maybe someone else deserves a chance [for Best Actor]."

Person in formal attire, adorned with statement jewelry, looking amazed at an event surrounded by an audience in formal wear

This is really disturbing, and I'm really surprised their voting system has been able to thrive for so long without causing a stir in Hollywood. The bias and disregard in those anonymous quotes is alarming. It also makes me wonder if actors were fully aware of what was happening behind the scenes before attending the Oscars every year.

Person in elegant lace dress holding an award statue, smiling

I'm sorry, if I put my blood, sweat, and tears into a project, submitted it for consideration for an Academy Award, attended the prestigious ceremony, lost in the category, and then ultimately found out that the people in charge of voting didn't even watch my project, I'd be pissed.

But I'm not alone in this. People online had a lot to say about this new rule as well:

Tweet by a user questioning how winners are voted for without watching all the films
Tweet by Patrick Schwarzenegger: "Smart. I like that" with his verified account symbol
Tweet by user: "imagine implementing such rule 97 years into the existence of the award."
Social media post describing dissatisfaction with a prestigious organization for being biased and not reviewing all submitted materials
Tweet from Jonny discusses the high cost needed for Oscar promotion to ensure the Academy watches and votes on a film for progression
Tweet by @adaenechi: "The fact that this wasn't a rule before shows how biased most of the wins are."
A tweet asks, "What were they voting for until now? Trailers?"
Tweet questioning how Oscar wins are decided, using hypothetical scenario of "Dune: Part Two" not winning due to voter bias or context issues
Rahul Gondane tweets humorously about teachers reading student answers before grading
Tweet by @kxyye: "Absolute insanity that this wasn't already required. Wtf"

You can read more about the new rules here.

What are your thoughts on this? Is it making you rethink past winners? Let me know in the comments!

We see you lurking 👀
Join an Oscars conversation instead.
See the Discussions