The Oscars are well-known annual awards that recognize excellence in the film industry and are determined by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Despite this high honor, the big question is who is really watching it every year?
Although the Academy Awards is widely known and recognized across the United States, it mainly appeals to the adult audience.
Teenagers are not as interested in the types of movies that typically win the awards. Many Oscar-winning movies are dramas or historical films, which do not necessarily appeal to a younger audience.
According to DB Advisors, younger audiences tend to prefer action, comedy or fantasy movies.
Kaelyn Putz, a junior at Xavier College Preparatory, said, “The Oscars are fun but only for the certain type of people who are into that kind of thing. Most of the time I know the movies but some of them I have never seen.”
Out of this year’s nominees, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Elvis,” and “The Batman” are some of the only movies that teenagers knew.
Even though I have not heard of most of the films and actors, that is not the case for every teenager.
Freshman Ava Knopka said, “I felt happy about the Oscar winners this year. They all deserved it, except I felt that Elvis should have at least won one award. I also thought seeing Ke Huy Quan winning best supporting actor [in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”] was very heartwarming.”
The Oscars should consider nominating and awarding more popular films that have a wider appeal among younger viewers. This would make the show more relevant and interesting to this demographic.
In 2021 the highest grossing movie was “Spiderman No-Way Home”; however, despite its success and fan reviews, it did not receive any recognition for best movie.
“I normally do not know a lot of the movies that are nominated,” said Isabella Ayer, a current student at Arizona State University who annually watches the Oscars.
The question we should be asking is why is the academy ignoring films in pop culture that appeal to younger audiences?
These films normally bring in higher box office numbers and revenue compared to those more critically-acclaimed films.
With this lack of appeal, it leads many to wonder if the Oscars will have to expand their choices to include more relevant and popular films or become an event of the past.
