Aug. 15: Date for First FYC Screeners: ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ ‘Becoming Led Zeppelin’
The Oscars will launch its first digital screeners on Friday, August 15, for its 11,000 members to consider for the 98th Academy Awards.
This date marks the official start of awards season as studios vie for voters’ attention on the members-only streaming platform.
The Academy Screening Room will debut its initial slate of films from distributors that met the July 31 submission deadline.
New movies will be uploaded every Friday, until the end of the season in all categories, including best picture and specialty races such as documentary, animated, international feature and the shorts.
The movie’s original song “Golden,” which will be a top track for the Music Branch to consider, has achieved unprecedented success, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 — surpassing “Let It Go” from “Frozen,” which peaked at No. 5.
All seven original songs from the soundtrack have charted on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first streaming-era soundtrack to debut in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 and increase sales in its second, third and fourth weeks.
Other early titles expected on the platform include IFC and Shudder’s Norwegian horror film from writer-director Emilie Blichfeldt, Samir Oliveros’ thriller “The Luckiest Man in America” featuring a remarkable performance from Paul Walter Hauser.
Studios pay $20,000 to place films on the platform. An alternative rate is available for films with budgets of $10 million or less. Guidelines are available through the Academy Screening Room application process. Distributors can create exclusive content for the platform through the “Scene at the Academy” program.
The early digital release on the platform provides crucial exposure for films, smaller independent titles that may lack the marketing budgets of major studio releases.
In 2011, when screeners were allowed, Chris Weitz’s moving indie drama “A Better Life” was the first out of the gate, which paid off for best actor nominee Demián Bichir, one of five Latinos in history to be nominated in the category.
For distributors, the platform offers direct access to all voting members without logistical challenges and costs of organizing physical screenings in Los Angeles and New York. However, they will still plan those throughout the season.
Independent films benefit from the streaming format, as it allows Academy members to view titles at their convenience rather than competing for attention at crowded events. The platform ensures that smaller films receive equal consideration alongside big-budget contenders.
This year marks changes to the Academy’s voting procedures, where members are required to view all nominated films within a category to be eligible to vote in the final round. It’s best that voters get started on this as early as possible in order to not to do too much catch-up after nominations are announced.
The Academy Screening Room is available on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, Android TV, the Academy member website and mobile app, with AirPlay and Chromecast support.
The nominations voting runs from Monday, Jan. 12, through Friday, Jan. 16.
Official nominees will be announced Thursday, Jan. 22.
The 98th Academy Awards will be held March 15, 2025.
