Report: Despite Theatrical Focus, Streaming Availability Biggest Factor in Which Oscar Nominees People Have Seen

With the Oscars less than a week away, there’s been a lot of talk about which films will win the top awards. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has emerged as the frontrunner, but only 8% of moviegoers have seen the film, according to data from PCH Consumer Insights. So if people aren’t seeing the top contenders, what are they watching?

It should come as little surprise that the most popular Oscar-nominated movies are the ones with major box office success. “Top Gun: Maverick” grossed nearly $1.5 billion at the box office globally, while “Avatar: The Way of Water” grossed nearly $2.3 billion worldwide. However, 44% of people saw “Top Gun: Maverick,” while only 15% saw “Avatar: The Way of Water,” according to data from PCH Consumer Insights.

This is because the latter isn’t yet available to be streamed following its Dec. 16 theatrical debut, unlike “Top Gun: Maverick” which came to transactional video-on-demand (TVOD) last fall and landed on Paramount+ just in time for the holidays. Similarly, “Elvis,” which only earned a fraction of “Avatar: The Way of Water’s” earnings at the box office, was nearly as popular with 13% of respondents having seen the film. This, again, is because “Elvis” was available to stream on HBO Max unlike “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which has been in theaters for three months.

Additionally, with the exception of “Top Gun: Maverick,” no Best Picture nominee eclipsed 15% viewership, and 38% of surveyed individuals hadn’t seen any of the nominated films. Part of that fact is that Americans lack a general sense of urgency regarding the nominated movies; in fact, according to the survey, 70% of people don’t care if a movie won Best Picture when determining whether or not to see it.

In 2022, ticket sales and box office profits increased as a result of a combination of Tom Cruise, James Cameron, and COVID-easing. However, domestic box office and overall ticket purchases lagged 34% behind 2019’s pre-pandemic numbers. This isn’t a new phenomenon, U.S. movie theater ticket sales had been on a lengthy, slow decline even before the COVID shutdowns.

Related: How to Stream All 2023 Oscar-Nominated Movies

More than 20 years ago, movie ticket sales reached a peak. The proprietors of theaters responded by raising their prices. U.S. movie houses sold 22% fewer tickets in 2019 than they did in 2002, but they also cost 58% more. By 2019, a growing number of moviegoers had learned to wait until the films were available on TV or streaming. When the pandemic struck, what had been a pattern turned into a long-lasting behavioral change.

This is further shown by 68% of consumers selecting alternative methods to view movies. Since 2014, nearly as many Americans (27%) favored paid streaming movies as opposed to movie theaters. Streaming, both free and paid, combine for 45% of movie-lovers’ screening habits, far more than in theaters and more than two times that of watching on broadcast and cable TV.

Despite all of this, many of the most well-regarded movies of 2022 — including some of this year’s top Oscar contenders — have struggled to amass a sizable following on streaming platforms. The cultural cachet of Oscar-nominated movies seems to be dwindling quickly, despite the fact that they are more widely available than ever – seven of the 10 Best Picture nominees are on major streaming video-on-demand (SVOD) platforms, two are available on premium video-on-demand (PVOD), and “Avatar: The Way of Water” is still playing in theaters.

All of this boils down to the new reality of movie-watching; streaming availability is a significant factor in whether people have seen a film or not. If it is available on a major streaming service, it can push a movie ahead of the pack in terms of viewership even if it was less successful at box office.

How to Stream All of the 2023 Best Picture Nominees