Is there a correlation between the caliber of movies nominated for Best Picture and the popularity of the Oscar show, as measured by the Nielsen ratings:
Oscar 1993
Best Picture: Schindler’s List Rating: 31.1 Viewers: 45.1 million
Oscar 1994
Best Picture: Forrest Gump Rating: 32.5 Viewers: 48.3 million
Oscar 1995
Best Picture: Braveheart Rating: 30.3 Viewers: 44.9 million
Oscar 1996
Best Picture: The English Patient Rating: 27.4 Viewers: 40.1 million
Oscar 1997
Best Picture: Titanic Rating: 34.9 Viewers: 55.3 million
Oscar 1998
Best Picture: Shakespeare in Love Rating: 28.6 Viewers: 45.6 million
Oscar 1999
Best Picture: American Beauty Rating: 29.2 Viewers: 46.3 million
Oscar 2000
Best Picture: Gladiator Rating: 26.2 Viewers: 42.9 million
Oscar 2001
Best Picture: A Beautiful Mind Rating: 25.4 Viewers: 41.8 million
Oscar 2002
Best Picture: Chicago Rating: 20.4 Viewers: 33.0 million
Oscar 2003
Best Picture: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Rating: 26.0 Viewers: 43.5 million
Oscar 2004
Best Picture: Million Dollar Baby Rating: 25. Viewers: 41.5 million
If you want to know more about this issue, please read my book, All About Oscar
