Why is the idea of a Best Popular Film so unpopular?

Last week, the Academy Awards announced a trio of changes to their annual ceremony, one of which caused quite the uproar among those inside and outside of the movie industry.

Plans are under way to create a second Best Picture category, with the working title being "Best Popular Film". Just the very notion that this major honor could be divided into separate parts unleashed a flurry of outrage, claiming that this was being done in order to give blockbusters movies an award they didn't deserve since financial success is more than enough reward for them.


Well, I find that objection to be incredibly pretentious,especially since such distinctions are nothing new to award shows. The Golden Globes not only has Best Drama and Best Comedy/Musical for film, they also divide the acting categories the same way. Also, the Tony awards have Best Drama, Best Musical and Best Revival of a play and/or musical! Why is that okay but not this?

Not to mention that if you look into the history of the Oscars, you'll see that originally there were two Best Picture categories(one was "Outstanding") and that the whole point of the awards was for the industry to get recognition as an art form by giving themselves awards.

Plus, there is the well established trope of "Oscar bait", a formula for figuring what type of movie was destined to be the big winner,making the entire Oscar race all too predictable and the root of the main reason for lower ratings for the show every year:

One of the biggest complaints,however, has been that a Best Popular Film category is being created for "superhero movies" and in particular, Black Panther(which it may not be up for, as there is no word on when this new category would be in place).

Well, so what? I want Black Panther to get Oscar nominations and awards and if the odds on that are increased by adding a new Best Picture category, so be it! I want this movie to be up for Best Actor, Best Actress and especially Best Supporting Actor for Michael B. Jordan, who was denied a nomination for Creed(which was also directed by Ryan Coogler, who should be up for Best Director here as well)!

This is not because it was a superhero movie that set box office records, it is due to the fact that even film critics can't deny that this was a next level film in so many ways. It has nuanced character development, prominently featured strong female characters and universal themes of oppression with debates about how to deal with it as a society. Good story telling is good story telling, regardless of genre,which too many people fail to respect:

Speaking of genre films, why do people assume that this would only benefit superhero movies? If Best Popular Film was up and ready by 2019, other nominees could include A Quiet Place(horror films mostly get overlooked and rarely win big awards at the Oscars), Crazy Rich Asians(comedies receive similar treatment) and Ready Player One(scfi/fantasy ditto) for example.

The last time that I recall a big new award being created was Best Animated Feature, which most people said was for Disney's benefit after Beauty and the Beast was included in the regular Best Picture section.

Turns out that the first Oscar handed out for Best Animated was not given to a Disney film. In 2001, Dreamworks' Shrek won that award. Other non-Disney films that won in this category include Spirited Away, Rango and Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

While made-by-Disney animated films have won a good share of the awards(plenty if you count the Pixar wins as well), other films have benefited from just being nominated and getting that world wide attention to their work. Films such as Persepolis,The Triplets of Belleville and Kubo and the Two Strings are much better known and appreciated due to this category. Offering a spotlight to movies that are easily dismissed by genre can do more than just give the major studios more bragging rights:

Whenever they do have Best Popular Film(or whatever title is ultimately decided on) ready for prime time, in the long run, this category may turn out to be a step in the right direction instead of the cinematic misstep that many are taking it for.

Best Picture has gone from ten films being nominated to five and now back to ten, just to provide balance for the age old "art vs. entertainment" argument and now that question may come close to being settled. The best films are both art and entertainment but why does it have to be one or the other when it comes to this award?

Hollywood needs to stop pretending that the Oscars are about art and nothing more. Throwing all types of films in one bag like this is not simply comparing apples to oranges, it's comparing apples to grapefruit with a bucket of buttery popcorn tossed in there. Giving both kinds of film a chance to compete on more equal terms is the right thing to do. Stop shaming popular movies and give them their moment to shine and say "This is ME!":