The Oscars will launch its first wave of digital screeners on Friday, Aug. 15, for its 11,000+ members to consider for the 98th Academy Awards, which will mark 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 across all categories, including best picture and specialty races such as documentary, animated, international feature and the shorts.
Netflix’s animated feature “KPop Demon Hunters” will be among the highest-profile titles launching on the platform. Released in June, the music sensation has become Netflix’s most popular original animated film of all time and ranks fourth on the streaming service’s all-time most popular films list as of Aug. 5.
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. The song, written by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, IDO, 24 and TEDDY, made HUNTR/X the first female K-pop group to earn a top-five hit in Hot 100 history. 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.
Courtesy of Toronto Film Festival
Other early titles expected on the platform include IFC and Shudder’s Danish horror film “The Ugly Stepsister” from writer-director Emilie Blichfeldt, in addition to Samir Oliveros’ thriller “The Luckiest Man in America” featuring a remarkable performance from Paul Walter Hauser.
Sony Pictures Classics is also expected to debut two films: Bernard MacMahon’s music documentary “Becoming Led Zeppelin,” chronicling the formation of the English rock band, and “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight,” Embeth Davidtz’s directorial debut. The drama, adapted from Alexandra Fuller’s memoir about growing up on a farm in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), had its Canadian premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
Studios pay $20,000 to place films on the platform. An alternative rate is available for films with budgets of $10 million or less, with guidelines available through the Academy Screening Room application process. Distributors can also create exclusive content for the platform through the “Scene at the Academy” program.
Beyond awards contenders, the platform features Academy Museum programming, marquee events including the Governors Awards and Scientific and Technical Awards, Student Academy Awards, unconscious bias sessions, member conversations, panel discussions and additional resources for Academy members.
The early digital release on the platform provides crucial exposure for films, notably smaller independent titles that may lack the marketing budgets of major studio releases. In 2011, when physical 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 the logistical challenges and costs of organizing physical screenings across Los Angeles and New York. However, they will still plan those throughout the season.
Marcel Zyskind
In the case of a film like “The Ugly Stepsister,” the Norwegian-language extreme take on the beloved “Cinderella” fairytale, any chance of the film being Norway’s official submission for international feature is highly unlikely. Conventional wisdom points to Joachim Trier’s Grand Prix winner “Sentimental Value” to carry that torch. Still, IFC and Shudder believe it warrants consideration and see a pathway for recognition in areas such as makeup and hairstyling (and possibly more).
Independent films especially benefit from the streaming format, as it allows Academy members to view titles at their convenience rather than competing for attention at crowded screening events. The platform’s accessibility ensures that smaller films receive equal consideration alongside big-budget contenders.
Let’s not forget: this year marks significant changes to the Academy’s voting procedures, where members are now 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 in January.
With Oscar contenders gearing up to debut at fall film festivals — Netflix’s “Frankenstein” with Oscar Isaac, Focus Features’ “Hamnet” with Jessie Buckley and A24’s “The Smashing Machine” with Dwayne Johnson — awards season promises to be an exciting one to watch unfold.
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 period will run 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.
