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

[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

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/02/movies/trump-and-politics-were-largely-absent-from-the-ceremony.html

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

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/02/movies/trump-and-politics-were-largely-absent-from-the-ceremony.html

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.

 

[Farerb]

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

I am not. No one expects Deadpool to win the Oscars. There's a middle ground between Deadpool and Anora.

 

[Disney Irish]

I am not. No one expects Deadpool to win the Oscars. There's a middle ground between Deadpool and Anora.

Except the Oscars (not even the official name) is literally the awards handed out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, not the "Academy of Mainstream Popular Movies". Its an award to celebrate the art and science of motion picture, not to award the most popular movie of the year.

In addition in order to allow more popular movies into the awards they have expanded the Best Picture (and maybe a few other categories) to something like 10 nominees. So they recognize that they need to include some popular movies, but its not about popular movies exclusively, that is the People's Choice Awards.

 

[Farerb]

Except the Oscars (not even the official name) is literally the awards handed out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, not the "Academy of Mainstream Popular Movies". Its an award to celebrate the art and science of motion picture, not to award the most popular movie of the year.

In addition in order to allow more popular movies into the awards they have expanded the Best Picture (and maybe a few other categories) to something like 10 nominees. So they recognize that they need to include some popular movies, but its not about popular movies exclusively, that is the People's Choice Awards.

30 years ago the nominees would have been Wicked, Dune, Conclave, Challengers and one of the obscure movies that were nominated this year (sure even Anora perhaps, though The Brutalist is more likely). Then Wicked would have won. Are you implying that Wicked isn't a good movie or didn't deserve to win just because it's popular? Come on...

And do you honestly believe that Anora is the best of the year? That movie is a thinly disguised softcore p*rn for the first 45 minutes.

 

[Disney Irish]

30 years ago the nominees would have been Wicked, Dune, Conclave, Challengers and one of the obscure movies that were nominated this year (sure even Anora perhaps, though The Brutalist is more likely). Then Wicked would have won. Are you implying that Wicked isn't a good movie or didn't deserve to win just because it's popular? Come on...

Movies have changed in the last 30 years, not only are more movies released into the market but also more independent movies are being released.

Also I have doubts that Wicked would have won even 30 years ago. While a good film I don't see it being stellar over any of the others in the field, especially the list you made up here. I would have said Conclave or Challengers from that list.

And do you honestly believe that Anora is the best of the year? That movie is a thinly disguised softcore p*rn for the first 45 minutes.

Midnight Cowboy, an X rated movie at the time for a variety of reasons, won a bunch of awards including Best Picture and Best Director in 1969.

And in 1988 Last Temptation of Christ won Best Director, and Dangerous Liaisons was nominated as Best Picture, both of which weren't popular films and both were considered softcore at the time.

So this isn't some new phenomenon, so don't see your point here.

 

[Phroobar]

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?

This site...

 

[Farerb]

Fine. All of you are right.

Katherine Hepburn and Vivien Leigh could only wish they could give such a stellar performance as Mikey Madison's (I would have even posted gifs and videos but that would have been inappropriate). Anora is the new Casablanca.

 

[Phroobar]

I don't think I'm ever seeing Anora and is definitely not safe for Disney forum discussion. IMDB shows severe nudity and profanity with 693 swear words, 479 f-words and 491 uses of words I can't type on this forum. Why would I want to watch that? It's like how some people here though Poor Things was a must watch movie suitable for the entire family.