Despite concern over how the telecast might be perceived, it turns out ratings got a boost this year, according to this Rick Kissell Variety story. Much of that is being attributed to the presence of popular films like “Avatar,” but I think it’s also worth pointing out the role of hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin may have played here. Their chemistry may have been a must-see for many.
Writes Kissell:
Oscar appears to have driven the “Avatar” express to strong numbers Sunday, with preliminary local-market scores suggesting ratings for the Academy Awards on ABC will come in up by double-digit percentages vs. last year. As a result, the show figures to have moved north of 40 million viewers for just the second time in five years…
According to Nielsen’s local overnights, which measure viewership in 56 of the nation’s largest markets, the “82nd Annual Academy Awards” averaged roughly a 27.4 household rating/41 share from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. ET, up a meaningful 20% vs. last year’s 22.9/36.
I still love the irony of the ultimate Best Picture winner in the face of all this clamoring for popular appeal. And, I might add, it became a perfect symbiosis. “The Hurt Locker” got to win in front of a large audience that will now give it a look. Maybe it all worked out in the end.
Check out the rest at Variety.
Comments
36 responses to “Ratings were up”
Audience knows by now that HL is overrated beyond measure. So if they give it a look the backlash will only grow especially against abysmal Original Script win. People are reeling over this travesty which is just great.
Good thing the world isn’t entirely made up of bitter, immature Tarantino sycophants like “ninja.” Christ, you’re worse than Speaking English.
“People are reeling over this travesty”
What planet are you from exactly?
No one seems to be reeling but you, ninja.
Imdb.com, Nikki`s site,etc are up in arms.
Also, Chartier`s acceptance speech is the most disgusting thing ever. he`s proud of being an awards season`s biggest douche. Hopefully, this is his last laugh in life.
I think the public will feel the rug was pulled out from under its feet, they tune in to watch the big film gets its due and it takes home three awards and is beat by a film NO ONE SAW?! Who are these Academy voters and why do they hate scifi so? Anyways I was disappointed but knew it was coming, these are the same folks who said CRASH was the best picture. Nuff said.
IMDb is up in arms! Oh my, that certainly matters, since, you know, I care so much about the same community that thinks The Dark Knight is one of the top ten films ever made.
I don’t think HL’s win was reel-worthy; nor was it one of the worst films ever to win. Far from it, really.
But it wasn’t my baby of the night, so I’m naturally a little salty about it. But I will agree that Boal should promptly hand his gold man over to Tarantino.
But that picture of N’avi Stiller….I don’t care what Sourpuss Cameron thinks, but that shit was hilarious, and perhaps one of the few thing I enjoyed about the night.
Actually, I’m not sure it’ll help it (“The Hurt Locker”). People I know who have just recently seen it because of all the hype have come away confused and disappointed. I think others are also going to be wondering what all the fuss was about.
Just keep repeating that in your little echo chamber with ninja. I’m sure it’ll make you feel better…eventually.
As long as the raiting were not from the ten best picture thing and we have more reason to reverse it so much the better.
And what backlash are you guys seeing Most seem thrilled with the choice? For once Awardsdaily doesn’t appear to be yelling itself to death over the winner.
Kris you are right with all the hype about more popular movies and changing the rating system etc.. and still The Hurt Locker wins is a great feeling.
Now the big question is, is anyone going to remember any of these films and performances in 10 years?
While I’m sure having 10 Picture nominees and Avatar helped, I recall Entertainment Weekly publishing an article recently about all award shows having higher ratings. So it wasn’t just this Oscar telecast that has had a ratings bump.
On a lark I went back to look at the 72nd Academy Awards nominees…
“American Beauty” gets Best Picture, but the movie everyone remembers is “The Sixth Sense.”
None of the winning or even nominated performances for Actor or Actress stand out today. The stars of Kevin Spacey and Hilary Swank have long since dimmed.
“Sweet and Lowdown” got two acting nominations. I don’t even remember this movie at all. What was it about?
As for supporting nominees, nothing stands out in the memory but for Haley Joel Osment.
Other top movies that didn’t get any top nomination love (just technical nomination love): The Matrix and Fight Club. These two movies, people are still talking about. Neither film were nominated for screenplay.
Just more evidence that the Oscars are the film industry’s biggest annual smoke and mirrors show.
“None of the winning or even nominated performances for Actor or Actress stand out today.”
Aaaaaand that’s when I stopped reading. You know, you HL bashers don’t have to be hyperbolic or disengenuous to express your displeasure over your pony losing.
Who says I’m an HL basher?
I’m HL-indifferent, pretty much.
I’m just opining that the Oscars are about defining and rewarding a still-pretty-fusty, hermetically sealed ideal of “Oscar-worthiness” rather than being of any real use for predicting what stands the test of time.
“predicting what stands the test of time”
What a fool’s errand that would be.
So, this means the 10-nominee thing is here to stay? I’m all for it.
“Who says I’m an HL basher?”
Sorry, I’m so used to them making absurd claims that when I saw you insinuate that Hilary Swank’s performance in Boys Don’t Cry doesn’t “stand out” today, I just assumed you were on ninja and Speaking English’s crybaby team.
I don’t think it’s such a fool’s errand. The mistake of course is in thinking “the Academy” votes like a single entity, when obviously it’s made up of individuals. If I were an Academy voter I would have thought about how exceptional these movies and performances really were in the greater context. I guess I don’t know how we wound up with such a largely tame crop of nominees.
I personally chafed at the boring script we were fed from January on… Avatar vs. Hurt Locker… no one EVER deviated from it. But please let’s not pretend that these are movies for the ages (any more than Slumdog Millionaire was, and that won practically everything).
@21″I personally chafed at the boring script we were fed from January on… Avatar vs. Hurt Locker”
I`m wondering if HL would`ve won without this script. Before Avatar entered the game, UITA was the unstoppable frontrunner. HL clearly mega-profited from artifical HL vs Avatar rivalry that made voters forget there are better movies among nominees.
Yes, I wonder what happened to UITA… talk about the incredible shrinking film. I guess there’s one every Oscar season.
I don’t think The Hurt Locker was some sort of out-from-left-field nominee. (for that matter I don’t understand why it wasn’t released during traditional Oscar season). I’m happy for Bigelow, who is not a “poster girl” for Female Directors by any means. But yeah, there was a weird rush to build up Avatar and then contrast it with The Hurt Locker, and suddenly every other film was irrelevant. It was “decided” very early.
I think the big winner of the night was really Precious, actually. It was the only recipient of the only surprise award. Other than that, everything felt cast in stone and it was the most boring Oscars I can remember in a long time. (despite loving Jeff Bridges to death)
Well, that…and it was the most critically celebrated film of the year. That tends to help your Oscar chances.
Up in the Air stopped being the unstoppable front-runner when people realized that the whole “movie of our time” bullshit was bait-and-switch marketing on the part of cynical advertisers.
“But please let’s not pretend that these are movies for the ages.”
There’s no pretending, here. Once the fanboy tantrums settle down, The Hurt Locker will be recognized for the great film that it is. Mark my words.
@24 “Once the fanboy tantrums settle down, The Hurt Locker will be recognized for the great film that it is. Mark my words.”
What you just said is a fanboy tantrum.
Time to pick up a dictionary, ninja.
On a completely different note (though still on the subject of film quality), can someone tell me why it’s so rare for foreign films to get “regular” nominations?
Because really, “The Lives of Others” and “Pan’s Labyrinth” were a far sight better in nearly all the major acting and technical categories than most of their English-language competitors that year. “The Lives of Others” in particular deserved about 7 or 8 more nominations than it got.
@ 26
I just did and opened the page at O. Lets see…overrated..aha, translation…says “see Hurt Locker”. Ok, turning page back to H…Hurt Locker…says “is synonim for overrated.”
In 2020 I get the feeling UP, or Inglourious Basterds will be the films remembered.
Moving on to talk to an adult, the only answer I can give you, Morgan, is that the Academy is generally Anglo-centric and even somewhat xenophobic. No film from a foreign country other than Great Britan has ever won the Academy Award for Best Picture. That’s right, not even 8 1/2. Not even Fanny and Alexander. Not even Rashomon.
For a lot of voters, the Best Foreign Language Film category is where those movies go to, similar to the newly-appointed ghetto of Best Animated Feature Film.
However, Pan’s Labyrinth did garner a number of technical wins, including makeup, art direction and cinematography for 2006. The Lives of Others had the unfortunate luck of getting a stateside release in 2007, one of the strongest years in film of the decade, in my opinion, which gave it an uphill climb from the start.
“Moving on to talk to an adult,”
Was that a dig at me?
I didn’t know someone could not like The Hurt Locker.
No, it was a dig at ninja.
@33
Eh, anti-teenger bias is not good. We are the future generation of adults who are supposed to remember Oscar winners. But since they are all unapealling to us, no wonder they end up forgotten. AMPAS always does that, awarding movies for serior citizens.
I’m sure plenty of sheltered teens were put off by Platoon when it was released.
Don’t worry, you’ll grow to appreciate The Hurt Locker more when you grow up.
@35
Appreciation might happen before growing up, actually, as soon as that abominable Tarantino upsetter flops, and flop he will and hard. When the justice is served, it`s easier to take an ubiased look.