The Academy Awards has unveiled a groundbreaking new regulation: all members are now mandated to screen each film nominated within a specific category prior to casting their vote. This bombshell update was dispatched via a press email on the sunny afternoon of April 21st, sparking a flurry of curiosity and questions on the internet.
One Twitter user exclaimed, "Hold the phone! This wasn't a prerequisite before?" Another chimed in, "Does this mean we can dismiss all previous winners, considering the voters might not have even watched the films? Honestly, what's the point of the Oscars anymore? This just confirms what the masses have suspected for ages—it's all a charade!"
The Guardian revealed that anonymous Oscar voters have confessed in the past to skipping some of the contenders within a category before the final round of voting. Ahead of this year's grand ceremony, an Academy voter confessed to Entertainment Weekly, "I'm disappointed because I haven't watched 'The Substance' or 'I'm Still Here' yet... I couldn't make it through the first 'Dune'; I'm not eager for another three-hour trek. There's still time to reconsider, but I really struggled with it."
Traditionally, voters were supposed to abstain from voting if they hadn't watched all the nominees in a category. However, there was seemingly "no teeth in this enforcement," according to The Guardian.
So, how will the Academy ensure compliance with this new rule moving forward? According to The Hollywood Reporter, voters must now "attest" to having watched all the movies by disclosing where they viewed each one. Preliminary voting for the 2026 Oscars will commence in December, with Conan O'Brien reprising his role as the host, promising an event filled with anticipation and scrutiny under the new viewing mandate.
