The 97th Academy Awards came and went on Sunday, March 2nd, bookending the 2025 award season. Last year’s Barbenheimer fanfare is now a strange, distant memory, pink-and-green marketing graphics deftly taking its place. Unlike in years prior, the 2025 festivities were shrouded in melancholy following the impact of several devastating wildfires across Los Angeles, affecting the industry’s contributors across ranks. From the recent destruction to countless, continuing controversies surrounding the nominated pictures, this season was certainly stretched thin.
Part of this award season strain results from a saturation of viral press moments dominating social media spheres this past year. From “holding space,” to Chalamet’s recent acceptance speech at the SAG Awards, moments otherwise reserved for those entrenched in a specific subset of pop culture penetrated the mainstream. We were exposed to far more “film industry” content than in years prior.
Wicked gripped audiences’ attention last year with its iconic color scheme, memeable interview moments, and an impassioned fanbase that expands far beyond theater kid circles. The film was the second ever film to receive a Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, Barbie being the first in 2024. In many ways, Wicked fits neatly into a similar cultural pocket. Akin to Barbie’s blushing crowds, Wicked saw cinemas packed with pink and green-clad enthusiasts. Alongside an at times unbelievably earnest, polished press junket, the film has an undoubtedly proud feminine flair. The inclusion of this category at the Golden Globes ought to be lauded for its celebration of cinema culture; a kind of movie-going culture award shows and galas ought to inspire.
Another reason Wicked dominated the pop culture landscape was its achievement in enrolling groups beyond the film space, namely the theater enthusiasts and the not-insignificant Ariana Grande fans. In regards to the latter pop-star-turned-pink-popular-princess, her public investment in the role added fire to the “follow your dreams” flame. Young, aspiring performers currently fighting for their lives in their high school’s production of Once Upon a Mattress see, or want to see, themselves in her. They want to imagine their manifestations fruitful, and Grande’s candid recognition of her desire to play Galinda through the years makes that seem attainable. Again, we have a surprisingly earnest consequence of this season and an inspirational story to direct attention toward the film’s achievements.
Out of this year’s nominees, one ranked most divisive. Emilia Perez, a contentious movie-musical with a startling thirteen nominations. Its continuous controversies cast an unsightly shadow over the season. Emilia Perez illustrates the singular tension lying at the heart of every award season; critical acclaim versus popular interest. In this case, the split is fairly even: audiences find it distasteful or outright cringe, while critics and filmmakers think it artful and innovative.
Similarly contentious films in years past beg the question of, “Oscar bait,” and its specific conventions. Ideally, filmmakers express a worldview, idea, or perspective without thought to its reception. Pandering, whether punching up or down, diminishes the impact of the final product. However, we live in a world where films are a business, where the most popular movies often have superheroes or gratuitously handsome actors, and the attention you draw in, whether by way of explosions or accolades, ensures interest in your future projects. This is all to say that spending an exorbitant amount of time outlining what defines “Oscar bait” will not bring us closer to a better roster, or even more deserved roster, of nominees.
Since the Academy Awards are not determined by popular vote, lest Marvel films top the charts each year, but by selected members, it is the case that some years the selections are unfamiliar to the general public. This particular Oscars evening marks one occasion where critical acclaim and popular interest more closely overlap, though the shift is not wholly optimistic. The industry is still recuperating post-fallout from the 2023 WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes. There is a noticeable lull in new entertainment, accompanied by employment difficulties across the film job market. With the future of filmmaking still uncertain, filmmakers and enthusiasts alike can hope the post-strike shift triggers large-scale reform. Not only in the business of film but in the kind of work produced.
While the Academy Awards are a kind of celebration of cinema, albeit unapologetically self-indulgent, they also serve as an opulent marketing showcase for the industry. From melancholy montages to movie-music medleys, the evening is designed to spark an emotional response in audiences at home, urging them to continue going to the movies so money may be continuously shoveled back into the pockets of the very few seated inside Hollywood’s Dolby Theater.
The Oscars have seen a decline in annual viewership since 2014, hitting a notable low in 2021 with only 10.4 million viewers. Despite a steady increase in the years since the program has yet to reach numbers to rival 2014’s 40.37 million. What’s one way to reignite interest? Include movies more people are likely to watch and be excited about. This effort coupled with a lack of new entertainment creates an award season that encompasses popularity and keeps attention.
On this point, this Oscars seems a tipping point for the industry’s biggest faces. The 2025 award season marks the proper passing of contemporary young Hollywood into the industry canon. With names familiar to Millenial and Gen Z crowds such as the aforementioned Ariana Grande, Timothee Chalamet, and Anora’s Mikey Madison among the nominees, the new generation’s tide of influence is beginning to make noticeable waves. Chalamet’s words at the SAG Awards, in which he expresses his desire to be, “one of the greats,” perhaps further cements his spot.
Award shows produced by industry elites, largely for industry elites, ought to be met with a generous cynicism. The Oscars are, for all intents and purposes, a show, and those who produce it will always seek ways to direct attention towards it. Critical acclaim and popular interest are distinct, malleable metrics of quality, and are equally susceptible to fickle markers of taste and “greatness.” This is not to say that the awards cannot generate positive outcomes; inspiring awe and wonderment for filmmaking is a noble goal. Even if that goal is profit-driven, that motivation is not entirely banal. If award shows can encourage audiences to return to theaters, drive conversation, and help viewers form individual opinions about new work, they will have a positive impact. Bring on the cheesy montages, cascading scores, and teary-eyed speeches. For a chance at more movies of substance, it’s worth it to endure.