The94th Academy Awardssaw an increase in viewership after plummeting to an all-time low in 2021, but the show will still go down as the second least-watched Oscar ceremony in history. According toNielsen’s fast national ratings, Sunday night’s telecast of the Oscars on ABC drew 15.36 million viewers and a 3.2 rating among adults aged 18-49. While this is a 56% increase over last year’s dismal 9.85 million viewers, the downward spiral of the Oscars continues. However, these are still early, unadjusted figures, and the final viewership number could change after all the factors like streaming are taken into account. But that’s unlikely to make a big difference.
In 2019, the Oscars’ viewership hit 29.1 million, and in 2014, the show was watched by nearly 44 million viewers in the United States. Ellen DeGeneres was the host at the time, and Sandra Bullock-starrerGravitywas the big winner (7 awards). To improve the dwindling ratings, the Academy has made several radical changes over the years, like trying a host-free ceremony in 2019.
This year an honorary category (the Oscars fan-favorite) was created, allowing the general public to vote for their favorite films. Critics argued that this was just a ploy to bring more eyes to the show and accommodate commercial films likeSpider-Man: No Way Home. But as the ratings have demonstrated, the move didn’t offer much help. Plus,Zack Snyder’sArmy of the Deadbagged the fan-favorite award, withSpider-Man: No Way Homeranking fourth behindCinderellaandMinamata.
If changing the hosts, appeasing the fans, and nominating streaming releases and blockbusters couldn’t help generate interest in the show, there isn’t much left for the Academy to do. And after the several awkward incidents that happened this time, the Academy may have an uphill task to increase the viewing figures next year.
Related:Every Best Director Oscar Winner of the 2010s, Ranked
The Oscars Are in the News for All the Wrong Reasons
From triumphant wins of Ariana DeBose, Troy Kotsur, and Jane Campion – who became only the third woman to win the Best Director Award – to ashocking altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock, the 94th academy awards featured several firsts, some worth celebrating and some worth forgetting.
Denis Villeneuve’sDunewas the big winner this time around, winning six awards, including Best Cinematography for Greig Fraser and Best Original Score for Hans Zimmer. ButDunealso won in four other technical categories, which were cut from the live broadcast by the Academy. Surprisingly, the show still ran longer than expected. Sundance favoriteCODAwon the Best Picture Oscar, withTroy Kotsur winning the Best Supporting Actoraward, becoming the first deaf actor to win an Oscar.
But the event wasn’t without controversy, which included Amy Schumer’s awkward moment with Kirsten Dunst as she jokingly pushedThe Power of the Dogactress out of her chair. But the biggest moment of the night, and perhaps in the Oscars or any other award show’s history, was Will Smith walking upstage, slapping Chris Rock, and screaming profanities on live TV over the comedian’s distasteful jokes about Smith’s wife’s appearance. Jada Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, an autoimmune condition that causes rapid hair loss, and Chris Rock joked that he looks forward to seeing Jada inG.I. Jane 2.But Will Smith didn’t take the joke lightly.
While Smith and Rock are reported to be on good terms again, the Academy has assured that it won’t let theIndependence Daystar off the hook so easily. Will Smith, Jada Smith, and Chris Rock have yet to release a statement about the incident.
