Academy Awards Aims To Recapture the Spotlight
Beneath a warm California sun, a Hollywood rite of glamor again got into swing.

LOS ANGELES â For the first time in two years, the Academy Awards have rolled out the red carpet at Los Angelesâs Dolby Theatre for what the film academy hopes will be a back-to-normal Oscars. Except for all the stuff thatâs changed.
The telecast for the 94th Academy Awards will begin, as usual, at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. Early arrivals are already filling the red carpet ahead of the show. Beneath a warm California sun, a Hollywood rite of glamor again got into swing.
But little else about how this yearâs Oscars will get under way is traditional. An hour before the broadcast begins, attendees were assembling in the Dolby for the presentation of eight awards and acceptance speeches that will be edited into a broadcast that producer Will Packer has promised will be a tight three hours.
Itâs one of many shifts, both slight and tectonic, around this yearâs ceremony. After two years of pandemic â and a socially distanced 2021 edition with record-low ratings â the Academy Awards will try to recapture their exalted place in pop culture with a revamped telecast thatâs expected to see a streaming service win best picture for the first time.
It wonât be easy. The film industry recovered significantly from the pandemic in 2021, but despite one of the biggest hits in years in âSpider-Man: No Way Home,â the rebound has been fitful. The global movie industry sold about half the tickets last year as it did two years ago, $21.3 billion in 2021 compared to $42.3 billion in 2019, according to the Motion Picture Association. Hollywood pushed more of its top films directly into homes than ever before; half of this yearâs 10 best-picture nominees were streamed at or very near release. Even the film academy shifted entirely to a streaming platform for voters, rather than DVD screeners.
Then there are the challenges of commanding worldwide attention for a night of Hollywood self-congratulation after two years of pandemic and while Russiaâs war ravages Ukraine. Mr. Packer has said the war in Ukraine will be respectfully acknowledged during the broadcast. Some stars, like Sean Penn, have lobbied the academy to have the Ukrainian president speak at the ceremony. Some stars sported blue ribbons in support of Ukraine.
Netflixâs âThe Power of the Dog,â Jane Campionâs gothic Western, comes in with a leading 12 nominations and a good chance of snagging the top award. But all the momentum is with Sian Hederâs deaf-family drama âCODA,â which, despite boasting just three nods, is considered the favorite. A win would be a triumph for Apple TV+, which acquired the movie out of the Sundance Film Festival last year and has spent big promoting it to academy members.
Expect the most awards on the night to go to âDune,â Denis Villeneuveâs sweeping science fiction epic. Itâs the odds-on-favorite to clean up in the technical categories.
After several years sans-host, the Oscars will turn to the trio of Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall to emcee the broadcast, which is also streaming on platforms including Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, and on ABC.com with provider authentication. Producers have also lined up a star-studded group of performers including Billie Eilish and BeyoncĂ© to sing nominated songs, while the âEncantoâ cast will perform Lin-Manuel Mirandaâs breakout hit âWe Donât Talk About Bruno.â (Mr. Miranda, however, wonât be attending after his wife tested positive for Covid-19.) Also planned: anniversary celebrations for Francis Ford Coppolaâs âThe Godfatherâ (50 years old) and for James Bond (60).
It will be a staggered start, with stars making their way into the Dolby at different times. ABCâs red carpet pre-show is running 6:30 to 8 p.m., with the first hour of awards happening inside the theater between 7-8 p.m. News of those winners will spread first on social media and later be woven into the telecast. To accommodate the shift, the red carpet will also open an hour earlier than usual, at 4 p.m. Eastern.
The rejiggered approach, which has been deeply unpopular with some academy members, should make for some complicated red-carpet logistics. The academy, wanting to give each winner an uncompromised moment, is urging attendees to be in their seats by 7 p.m. That led to an earlier red carpet, with many stars â including Jessica Chastain, a nominee for âThe Eyes of Tammy Fayeâ â arriving with enough time to be seated for the pre-show.
âIâm here to see all the early categories because so often a lot of attention goes to the actors because people see our faces on screen,â she said. âBut the reality is thereâs so many people that are involved in creating a performance and creating a film, and I need to acknowledge and admire each one of them. Iâm excited. I mean, to be here tonight, I get to see all of your faces without masks on. Itâs really very emotional and beautiful.â
Hairstyling and makeup (where âTammy Fayeâ is nominated) is one of the eight pre-show categories to be handed out during what producers are calling the âgolden hour.â The others are: film editing, sound, original score, production design, live-action short, animated short, and documentary short.
âWe are heading in, weâll see how this goes,â Nicholas Britell, nominated for his âDonât Look Upâ score, said with a laugh and a shrug on the red carpet. âWeâre all learning, weâre all learning.â
Already inside the Dolby long before showtime was Donald Mowat, nominated for hair and makeup for âDune.â
âIâve been in this business for 35 years,â Mr. Mowat said. âThis is already the Oscar for me.â
Earlier this month, more than 70 Oscar winners, including James Cameron, Kathleen Kennedy, and Guillermo del Toro, warned that the change would turn some nominees into âsecond-class citizens.â
Behind the change is alarm over the Oscarsâ fast-falling ratings. While drops have been common to all major network award shows, last yearâs show attracted only about 10 million viewers, less than half of the 23.6 million the year before. A decade ago, it was closer to 40 million.
To help restore the Oscarsâ position, some argued in the lead-up to this yearâs awards that a blockbuster like âSpider-Man: No Way Homeâ should have been nominated for best picture. Itâs up for just visual effects.
Instead, a wide gamut of films are in the hunt, ranging from the much-watched Netflix apocalyptic comedy âDonât Look Upâ and the roundly acclaimed three-hour Japanese drama âDrive My Car.â
One thing producers have promised: the nightâs final award will be best picture. Last yearâs show concluded awkwardly with the unexpected presentation of best actor to a not-present Anthony Hopkins.
By JAKE COYLE. Lindsey Bahr and Writer Amanda Lee Myers contributed to this report.