Well, it seems like Black Panther will not be winning the Best Popular Film Oscar this year and nor will any other film. The category was earlier announced this summer as an addition to the next ceremony.
Today, it was announced by The Academy that the Best Popular Film Category will be postponed, which means that it will not make its debut in February, as originally scheduled.
Here’s what Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement:
“There has been a wide range of reactions to the introduction of a new award, and we recognize the need for further discussion with our members. We have made changes to the Oscars over the years — including this year — and we will continue to evolve while also respecting the incredible legacy of the last 90 years.”
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The Academy did neglect to reveal the exact requirements for a film to be considered for the award in Popular Best Film– is it box office? It’s budget? If we think about it, both Avengers: Infinity War and Crazy Rich Asians are extremely popular but quantifying them in a way that they both become eligible without looking at they’re actual merits, sounds like a difficult task.
Most fans already speculated Black Panther as the winner to the category but if it received an award for that, it may also have led voters to relegate the film to the “Kids Table” status instead of getting recognised as a film in the prestigious Academy Awards category. The new category was speculated to be introduced after the ratings of Oscars telecast went to an all-time low. It will be interesting to see if they finally decide to introduce this category next year.
