In a development as surprising as a twist in any good movie, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced April 21 that Academy members must watch every Oscar-nominated film in order to vote for the Academy Awards, a new wrinkle in the system for how Oscar winners are chosen.
“In a procedural change, Academy members must now watch all nominated films in each category to be eligible to vote in the final round for the Oscars,” the Academy said in a statement. “All designated nominees will also be included on the final ballot.”
This shift begs the question of enforcement, too, which will be addressed.
“The Academy will monitor viewing activity through its members-only Academy Screening Room streaming platform,” Variety reports. “For films viewed outside the platform — such as at festivals, screenings or private events — members must submit a form indicating when and where they watched the film.
“This verification process, previously used in preliminary and nomination voting for categories like international feature, animated feature, and the short film races, is now being applied to all categories. The move is intended to reduce so-called “coattail voting” and encourage more informed decisions from voters.”
If you’ve ever thought your favorite movie may have gotten robbed or an A-list actor won based solely on reputation and popularity, you’re not alone. Many X users were taken aback at the notion that voters didn’t actually have to see a movie to vote for it.
“GOOD!!!!! If your job is to watch movies, then you watch the damn movies,” one exasperated person wrote.
“What were they voting for until now? Trailers?” pondered another person wondered.
“What? This wasn’t a rule? How the heck do you vote for an Oscar if you didn’t watch all the films? LOL” someone else commented.
“This should have been the rule from the start. How do you vote on winners without even watching all the films,” another incredulous person asked.
“This honestly makes me question the integrity of previous Oscar wins,” someone else wrote. “Imagine if Dune: Part Two didn’t get an award simply because voters couldn’t be bothered to sit through a two-hour film, and the clip they saw felt too boring or confusing without context. There are so many great films that probably lost out this way.”
And more than one person was gobsmacked it’s taken this long for a rule like this to be instituted.
“We are nearly 100 years into the Oscars timeline and NOW they implement a rule where members HAVE to watch the films before they can vote,” one user remarked. “The insanity.”
“this not being mandatory until NOW makes every single win and nomination in the past questionable,” someone else pointed out.
“insane that this wasn’t already a rule,” another stunned user wrote.
The new rule is part of a series of changes the Academy has made surrounding the Oscars. Next year’s ceremony will also feature a new award for achievement in casting, while earlier this month the Academy also revealed it added another new category for achievement in stunt design, which will be handed out for the first time in 2028.
The 98th annual Academy Awards will take place March 15, 2026. Conan O’Brien, who hosted this year’s ceremony, will return to the stage and host again in 2026.
