The Oscars: A Night of Glamour Losing Its Shine

For decades, the Oscars have stood as the pinnacle of cinematic achievement, an annual celebration of Hollywood’s finest. But in recent years, the once-unmissable event has seen its relevance wane. From declining viewership to an industry in crisis, the Academy Awards no longer command the cultural power they once did. So, what is behind the Oscars' fall from grace?

The Oscars Are No Longer a Cultural Touchstone

There was a time when the Oscars were a shared cultural event. People tuned in because they had seen the nominated films, cared about the outcomes, and wanted to celebrate the industry. Today, the landscape is different. The idea that everyone is consuming the same content has disappeared. The era when a film like Titanic or The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King dominated both the box office and awards season is long gone.

A telling statistic highlights this shift: last year, only two of the ten Best Picture nominees were among the highest-grossing films of the year. In previous decades, the Oscars recognised films that were both critically acclaimed and widely seen. Now, many nominated films are arthouse productions or foreign-language films that mainstream audiences barely notice. In contrast, television has become the dominant entertainment medium, with series such as Succession, The Last of Us and The Bear sparking cultural conversations in ways that cinema struggles to match. If you listed the ten most talked-about TV shows of the past year, most people would have strong opinions on them. The same cannot be said for the Best Picture nominees at the Oscars.

Hollywood’s Identity Crisis

The Oscars were originally created as a publicity tool for Hollywood. The ceremony exists to celebrate and promote the film industry, yet the studios no longer use the event to market their films effectively.

One of the most damning examples of this is the lack of film advertising during the American broadcast. Traditionally, the Oscars were a prime opportunity for studios to tease their biggest upcoming releases. This year, however, there was just one movie-related advert: a promo for Ballerina, a John Wick spinoff. Instead of showcasing major blockbusters, the network airing the Oscars, owned by Disney, focused almost exclusively on promoting television content for Disney+, Hulu, and FX. The biggest night in film was, bizarrely, being used to market television.

This lack of self-promotion exposes a deeper issue: Hollywood’s priorities have shifted. The industry now revolves around franchise-driven, intellectual property-based blockbusters such as Spider-Man, Avatar and Fast & Furious, yet the Oscars largely ignore these films. The ceremony has become a night exclusively for so-called ‘prestige cinema’, sidelining the films that keep the industry financially afloat. If the Academy refuses to acknowledge the films that the majority of audiences watch, why should those audiences bother to tune in?

A Show Stuck in the Past

Not only has the Oscars lost its connection to mainstream moviegoers, but the ceremony itself remains outdated. The format has hardly changed in decades: an overlong opening monologue filled with awkward jokes, a series of rehearsed presenter bits, and endless acceptance speeches that drag on for too long. Meanwhile, other award shows, such as the Grammys and the BAFTAs, are far more entertaining because they focus on spectacle and engagement. The Grammys, for instance, feature high-energy performances that captivate audiences, while the Oscars persist with a bloated, self-important structure that struggles to hold attention.

Even within the industry, the Oscars are becoming less significant. If Hollywood will not even advertise its own films during its biggest night, what does that say about the event’s perceived value? The Oscars were once the beating heart of the film industry. Now, they feel like an awkward relic that only exists out of tradition.

The Disconnect Between Hollywood and Its Audience

There is also a growing sense that the Oscars, and Hollywood in general, have lost touch with the people who actually watch movies. Oscar speeches often feel out of step with reality, delivered by actors who seem oblivious to their privilege. Unlike athletes, who deliver short and inspiring victory speeches, Oscar winners frequently ramble on with indulgent monologues that alienate viewers.

One of the most glaring signs of this disconnect is that almost no one thanks the fans in their acceptance speeches. Musicians, by contrast, never miss the opportunity to thank their supporters at the Grammys. Whether it is Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, or Ed Sheeran, they always acknowledge the people who buy their albums and attend their concerts. Yet at the Oscars, winners spend their speeches thanking producers, agents, and other industry insiders, basically people the average viewer neither knows nor cares about. It is a shocking oversight in an era where audience engagement is more crucial than ever.

This issue extends beyond the ceremony itself. Hollywood no longer controls the cultural conversation the way it once did. Discussions about films now take place on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter, where fans shape narratives independently of studios. The Oscars have not embraced these platforms in the same way that events like the Met Gala have, and as a result, they have lost their grip on the public consciousness.

The Oscars and the Myth of Acting as an Artform

A major issue with the Oscars is the way actors are presented as the true visionaries of cinema, despite the fact that their craft depends almost entirely on the work of others. Actors are excellent at delivering lines with emotional depth and presence, but the words they speak and the characters they inhabit are created by writers and directors. Yet year after year, the Best Actor and Best Actress categories are treated as the climax of the evening, while screenwriters, editors, and cinematographers are pushed aside.

The most glaring example of this imbalance is how poorly actors perform when they are required to speak in their own words. The self-indulgent, rambling nature of Oscar acceptance speeches proves that many actors are only compelling when delivering something that has been meticulously crafted for them. When left to their own devices, their speeches are often cringeworthy, filled with overwrought emotion and bizarre tangents that make little impact beyond making audiences want to change the channel. The Oscars continue to reinforce the myth that actors are the heart of cinema, when in reality, they are only one part of a much larger creative machine.

The Adrian Brody Speech and Hollywood’s Self-Indulgence

A perfect example of the Oscars’ detachment from reality came with Adrian Brody’s speech at this year’s ceremony. Brody, a talented actor who previously won an Oscar for The Pianist, took the stage with an air of self-importance that bordered on parody. His speech was not a humble reflection on his craft but a meandering, self-indulgent monologue that seemed to be more about his own struggles than about celebrating cinema.

This type of grandiose speech has become all too common at the Oscars. Winners use the platform to deliver bloated, overwrought reflections on their personal journeys, rather than acknowledging the films, the industry, or even the audiences who made their success possible. Contrast this with sports stars, who know how to deliver a short, impactful speech that inspires rather than alienates.

Can the Oscars Be Saved?

The Oscars will not return to their former glory overnight, but there are ways to make them culturally relevant again. The Academy needs to acknowledge the shift in viewing habits and find ways to engage audiences beyond the traditional television broadcast. This could mean a stronger social media presence, shorter and more dynamic presentations, or even rethinking the voting process to better reflect public opinion.

More importantly, Hollywood must reconnect with audiences. That means celebrating films that people actually watch, rather than solely rewarding insular prestige projects. The Academy does not need to abandon its artistic credibility, but it must strike a better balance between mainstream appeal and highbrow cinema. If the Oscars continue to prioritise exclusivity over engagement, they will slide further into irrelevance.

The glitz and glamour remain, but the Oscars must evolve. Otherwise, they risk becoming a nostalgic relic for an industry that no longer exists.