Disney (and others) at the Box Office - Current State of Affairs

[Phroobar]

I typically watch the Oscars off DVR. I always skip the acceptance speeches. The best parts are the musical numbers for the best song and the historical retrospectives.

 

[TP2000]

Congratulations! You've discovered the one television event that has managed to maintain/grow its audience over the last 50 years. The fact that it's tantamount to a religion in this country may have something to do with its status as an extreme outlier.

Those numbers, especially the percentage of Americans tuning in each year, surprised me too. I knew the Oscars had become nearly irrelevant, but I didn't know it was that bad. It will be interesting to see what happened to the ratings this year.

I will say, I miss Conan and my 8 second Google searches today showed several headlines where he was generally praised for being a good host and good fit for the show last night. And he steered clear of politics, unlike previous hosts, which is exactly how the Oscars can rebuild their dwindling audience. Conan needs to get his own show back!

I'm not trying to argue that the Oscars have less cultural relevancy now than they did 50 years ago, but that the same is true for nearly every single thing that one could name that has lasted for that long. Moreover, because of technology, TV ratings are a terrible way to measure that relevancy.

Tell that to that notorious right-wing rag who hates Hollywood... The New York Times. Even they are concerned.

"Viewership for the annual Oscars show has long served as a cultural barometer — a way for Hollywood to gauge its relevance amid shifting political winds, fracturing media habits and changing social values.

In the run-up to the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, worries about the size of the TV audience have rumbled through the movie capital."

Oscars Audience Size Poses a Test: Is Hollywood Still Culturally Relevant?

Worries about the award show’s TV viewership, a barometer of the industry’s influence, are rumbling through the movie capital.

www.nytimes.com

Judging from your posting history, the people younger than you show interest in things and consume information about them in ways that you're only barely aware of, if at all.

I just read in Forbes that the best case scenario for Hulu is that they had a few hundred thousand viewers for their Oscar livestream last night. In a country of 340 Million, of which 54 Million have paid subscriptions to Hulu?!?

And Hulu was hoping for a few hundred thousand streaming viewers for the Oscars? Before their site crashed, of course.

I may be old enough to remember rabbit ears on top of the Zenith, but when top streaming shows are now measured in Billions (with a B) of minutes watched each week, a few hundred thousand people tuning into the Oscars doesn't seem an impressive way to "consume information".

 

[Disney Irish]

That line cracked me up more than it should have.

I had to go to untrustworthy Google to look up how many TV sets there were in the 1930's and 40's. (I'm old, but I wasn't there.)

The first Academy Awards ceremony was held in Hollywood in 1929. There were no commercially available TV's.

The first large scale exhibit of Television was made at the 1939 New York World's Fair. But World War II put it all on hold.

After World War II ended, in 1946 there were approximately 10,000 TV sets in the USA.

The Academy Awards was televised for the first time in March, 1953. Prices for 12 inch TV sets were dropping fast by then. 1953 was the same year that half of American households had a TV set!

So you agree then the ceremony wasn't started as a public celebration but rather an awards show for Hollywood themselves and lasted that way for over 2 decades.

It actually hasn't always been that way.

In 1975, 48.1 Million Americans watched the Oscars. That was 23% of the US population of 216 Million that year.

Fifty years later...

In 2024, 19.5 Million Americans watched the Oscars. That was 6% of the US population of 340 Million that year.

Doing that math actually surprised me. I can sense the Oscars are on the cusp of cultural irrelevancy, but I hadn't realized how low it had dropped as a percentage of the US population. That's incredible to see, really.

So? If it loses cultural relevancy, and like others I actually question how much it ever really did have in the first place, Hollywood will continue the ceremony just as it before it was ever televised. Again its an awards shows for all Hollywood by Hollywood to celebrate themselves, nothing more.

 

[Disney Irish]

I will say, I miss Conan and my 8 second Google searches today showed several headlines where he was generally praised for being a good host and good fit for the show last night. And he steered clear of politics, unlike previous hosts, which is exactly how the Oscars can rebuild their dwindling audience. Conan needs to get his own show back!

HAHAHAHA, its clear you didn't watch the show and only did an 8 second search. He did plenty of political jokes all throughout the show, as did many others.

 

[brideck]

And he steered clear of politics, unlike previous hosts, which is exactly how the Oscars can rebuild their dwindling audience. Conan needs to get his own show back!

Funny. Since I actually watched it, I seem to recall an Anora joke about standing up to Russians.

I just read in Forbes that the best case scenario for Hulu is that they had a few hundred thousand viewers for their Oscar livestream last night. In a country of 340 Million, of which 54 Million have paid subscriptions to Hulu?!?

And Hulu was hoping for a few hundred thousand streaming viewers for the Oscars? Before their site crashed, of course.

I may be old enough to remember rabbit ears on top of the Zenith, but when top streaming shows are now measured in Billions (with a B) of minutes watched each week, a few hundred thousand people tuning into the Oscars doesn't seem an impressive way to "consume information".

Re-read the part from a few posts back where I was talking about the fact that people don't actually need to watch the entirety of a broadcast (TV, Hulu, or otherwise) to show their interest in the event (and to see the parts they care about), and therefore wouldn't be counted in any of the metrics you keep talking about.

 

[Disney Irish]

Funny. Since I actually watched it, I seem to recall an Anora joke about standing up to Russians.

Another measure of TPs bad googling.

Re-read the part from a few posts back where I was talking about the fact that people don't actually need to watch the entirety of a broadcast (TV, Hulu, or otherwise) to show their interest in the event (and to see the parts they care about), and therefore wouldn't be counted in any of the metrics you keep talking about.

Exactly, we know from years past discussions that we suspect that many only view clips of the awards they care about on social media. We live in a different era of media consumption, and watching a 4 hour broadcast is not something that many outside of the older generations and those that have a huge interest in Hollywood are going to do, ie the general public isn't likely to do that like in decades past.

 

[TP2000]

So you agree then the ceremony wasn't started as a public celebration but rather an awards show for Hollywood themselves and lasted that way for over 2 decades.

No, that's not what I said at all. The Oscars wasn't on TV for the first 24 years because TV wasn't a thing yet.

The Academy Awards began live radio broadcasts nationwide in the 1930's. In 1946 the listenership for the live Oscars broadcast on the ABC Radio network was pegged at 50 Million nationwide. That would have been 35% of the American population in '46.

Last year, in 2024, only 6% of the American population watched the Oscars on TV.

Fun Fact: In 1940 the LA Times leaked the winners that year just before the show began on the radio, and local radio stations soon spread the news nationwide. It was a radio scandal! In 1941 the Academy enlisted an accounting firm and created a system of sealed and guarded envelopes to prevent any media leaks. That practice continues today.

Good thing too, as Twitter would spread even faster than radio or TV.

So? If it loses cultural relevancy, and like others I actually question how much it ever really did have in the first place, Hollywood will continue the ceremony just as it before it was ever televised.

The Oscars used to be a big deal. I'm not making that up.

In 1975, 23% of Americans watched the Oscars.
In 1998 (Titanic!), 21% of Americans watched the Oscars.
In 2010, 14% of Americans watched the Oscars.
In 2024, 6% of Americans watched the Oscars.

I wonder what last night's ratings were? We should know by this evening or tomorrow. And we can include a few hundred thousand from Hulu!

 

[Disney Irish]

No, that's not what I said at all. The Oscars wasn't on TV for the first 24 years because TV wasn't a thing yet.

The Academy Awards began live radio broadcasts nationwide in the 1930's. In 1946 the listenership for the live Oscars broadcast on the ABC Radio network was pegged at 50 Million nationwide. That would have been 35% of the American population in '46.

Last year, in 2024, only 6% of the American population watched the Oscars on TV.

Fun Fact: In 1940 the LA Times leaked the winners that year just before the show began on the radio, and local radio stations soon spread the news nationwide. It was a radio scandal! In 1941 the Academy enlisted an accounting firm and created a system of sealed and guarded envelopes to prevent any media leaks.

And how was media and news consumed prior to television? Radio and movie theaters. Was everyone gathered around the old RCA radio with their picks, or all heading to their local theater with their picks? No, that was not happening outside of maybe LA.

So the fact that there wasn't a television in every home is not relevant. For its first 25 years of existence it wasn't largely known by most of America, let alone who actually won each award outside of maybe best picture.

The Oscars used to be a big deal. I'm not making that up.

In 1975, 23% of Americans watched the Oscars.
In 1998 (Titanic!), 21% of Americans watched the Oscars.
In 2010, 14% of Americans watched the Oscars.
In 2024, 6% of Americans watched the Oscars.

I wonder what last night's ratings were? We should know by this evening or tomorrow. And we can include a few hundred thousand from Hulu!

Again who cares, you don't even watch it anymore yourself. If its lost the heights of its cultural relevancy, whatever that may have been, then so be it.

If you're that concerned about its cultural relevancy then you should watch it yourself and get all your old queen friends that used to watch it to going back to watch it as well rather than Monday morning quarterbacking.

 

[TP2000]

HAHAHAHA, its clear you didn't watch the show and only did an 8 second search. He did plenty of political jokes all throughout the show, as did many others.

I read a couple articles about it, and only because I like Conan and want to see him succeed. He apparently had a "non-political" monologue, and then had a Russian joke about Anora. And... that was it from the host?

I don't know about Conan's politics, much as I didn't know about Johnny Carson's politics. As it should be. Apparently Conan is getting praise for his hosting gig last night, which is fabulous. We need him back on his own show again! With Sona too!

Oscars Goes Light on Politics Despite Heated Climate Amid Trump’s Second Term

Conan O’Brien, Adrien Brody and Daryl Hannah were among the few people to make politically centered remarks through the 2025 awards ceremony on Sunday.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Trump and Politics Were Largely Absent From the Oscars

The host, Conan O’Brien, avoided politics in his monologue but later made a pointed joke about an “Anora” character who stood up to a powerful Russian.

www.nytimes.com

This year’s Oscars were notably apolitical

Hollywood has ditched resistance in favour of toeing the line

www.economist.com

 

[DKampy]

Flow winning best animated feature is kinda wild when you realize it was made with open-source software by a small team of artists. I still haven’t seen it but heard good things. Amazing that it beat Pixar and Universal entries. Really goes to show how much the Academy voting body has changed in the last ten years.

Well deserved IMO…, there’s quite a bit more international academy members from what I understand… due to including more diversity… it is why we are seeing more international films compete as if late

I agree… you can see the difference for the better…. You would of never seen a film like the Substance get a best picture nod even 10 years ago

 

[Disney Irish]

I read a couple articles about it, and only because I like Conan and want to see him succeed. He apparently had a "non-political" monologue, and then had a Russian joke about Anora. And... that was it from the host?

I don't know about Conan's politics, much as I didn't know about Johnny Carson's politics. As it should be. Apparently Conan is getting praise for his hosting gig last night, which is fabulous. We need him back on his own show again! With Sona too!

Oscars Goes Light on Politics Despite Heated Climate Amid Trump’s Second Term

Conan O’Brien, Adrien Brody and Daryl Hannah were among the few people to make politically centered remarks through the 2025 awards ceremony on Sunday.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Trump and Politics Were Largely Absent From the Oscars

The host, Conan O’Brien, avoided politics in his monologue but later made a pointed joke about an “Anora” character who stood up to a powerful Russian.

www.nytimes.com

This year’s Oscars were notably apolitical

Hollywood has ditched resistance in favour of toeing the line

www.economist.com

It wasn't politics free is the point, even if it was lighter on politics than in previous years. As you didn't watch it, I'm not going to recap it all for you, as you think your few searches gives you all the information you need to know, even though the very first article outlines how Conan actually did sprinkle politics in his remarks throughout the show.

 

[DKampy]

I don't know about Conan's politics, much as I didn't know about Johnny Carson's politics. As it should be. Apparently Conan is getting praise for his hosting gig last night, which is fabulous. We need him back on his own show again! With Sona too!

I am younger than you so I did not watch Carson so intently…. But I recall my parents watching The Tonight Show every night…. I recall there being plenty of political jokes in the monologue… Late night TV has always had political jokes… I watched Conan every night and he had political jokes throughout his show….heck After Trump called Haiti a poop hole…. He filmed a special showcasing the people of Hati

 

[easyrowrdw]

I've found this historical rundown of the Oscars to be interesting. I didn't know about the radio broadcasts, but it makes sense. Thanks, TP2000.

 

[MagicMouseFan]

The highest-rated Oscars telecast ever was the 70th Academy Awards ceremony held on March 23, 1998. This broadcast drew an average of 57.25 million viewers in the United States, making it the most-watched Oscars in history. Hosted by Billy Crystal, the ceremony saw Titanic win 11 awards, including Best Picture. This remains the peak viewership for any Academy Awards broadcast since Nielsen began tracking figures in 1974.

 

[Willmark]

Congratulations! You've discovered the one television event that has managed to maintain/grow its audience over the last 50 years. The fact that it's tantamount to a religion in this country may have something to do with its status as an extreme outlier.

Assuming you're talking about the Super Bowl, that is an outlier?

 

[Disney Irish]

Assuming you're talking about the Super Bowl, that is an outlier?

Compared to other linear TV events yes, even the Olympics has seen a decline over the decades.

Modern audiences, outside of certain events, are just not glued to the television as they used to be in previous decades. Blame social media, blame streaming, blame current events, blame whatever you want but overall viewership is down especially for linear and only continues to get worse as time goes on.

 

[DKampy]

Compared to other linear TV events yes, even the Olympics has seen a decline over the decades.

Modern audiences, outside of certain events, are just not glued to the television as they used to be in previous decades. Blame social media, blame streaming, blame current events, blame whatever you want but overall viewership is down especially for linear and only continues to get worse as time goes on.

Blame there only being 3 channels….

 

[Farerb]

The Oscars should be for the “mainstream popularity”. It’s the biggest awards show of the year for film so the winners should reflect that. 20 years ago Best Picture would have been WICKED (the epic big budget musical) or even DUNE but the Academy is so determined to be “edgy” now that they are missing the point of their own existence.

For better or worse, the Oscars are not the place to pluck obscure films from the film festival circuit and put them on THE biggest pedestal in Hollywood. In a few years, ANORA will be forgotten. Who still remembers or talks about CODA? Or MOONLIGHT? Or NOMADLAND? Or even EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE?

You know what people DO remember? TITANIC, GLADIATOR, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, CHICAGO, SCHINDLER’S LIST, FORREST GUMP, DANCES WITH WOLVES, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE GODFATHER, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, CASABLANCA, etc...

Movies that have a wider social & cultural impact are the ones that stand the test of time, and those are the movies the Oscars should be recognizing. Who out there is quoting lines from ANORA or NOMADLAND?

 

[Disney Irish]

Blame there only being 3 channels….

That too, but even by the late 90s (when peak viewership happened for the Oscars) there was already starting to be a glut of channels with the major 3 (4 if you include Fox which just started) and all the basic cable and premium cable channels and video-on-demand starting to be offered nationwide. So it was already going to hit a downward trend by that point as people realized they weren't stuck to watching one of three things.

 

[Disney Irish]

The Oscars should be for the “mainstream popularity”. It’s the biggest awards show of the year for film so the winners should reflect that. 20 years ago Best Picture would have been WICKED (the epic big budget musical) or even DUNE but the Academy is so determined to be “edgy” now that they are missing the point of their own existence.

For better or worse, the Oscars are not the place to pluck obscure films from the film festival circuit and put them on THE biggest pedestal in Hollywood. In a few years, ANORA will be forgotten. Who still remembers or talks about CODA? Or MOONLIGHT? Or NOMADLAND? Or even EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE?

You know what people DO remember? TITANIC, GLADIATOR, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, CHICAGO, SCHINDLER’S LIST, FORREST GUMP, DANCES WITH WOLVES, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE GODFATHER, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, CASABLANCA, etc...

Movies that have a wider social & cultural impact are the ones that stand the test of time, and those are the movies the Oscars should be recognizing. Who out there is quoting lines from ANORA or NOMADLAND?

I think you're confusing the Oscars with the People's Choice Awards which actually is about mainstream popularity.