Oscar Reform and Industry Controversy

Oscars announce new rules: add "Best Popular Film" award

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced in mid-June that starting in 2026, the Oscars will add the "Best Popular Film" award to honor high-grossing films that are both commercial and artistic. This decision has sparked great controversy - supporters believe that this will allow more popular films to be recognized, while critics (such as Martin Scorsese) call it "compromising with business and weakening the artistic value of film."

"The Neon Demon" swept the Critics Association Awards and became the top seed for the 2026 Oscars

The new sci-fi film "The Neon Demon" directed by Damien Chazelle (director of "La La Land") won the New York Film Critics Association Award and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Picture in June, and is generally regarded as the top contender for next year's Oscars. The film tells the rise and fall of a virtual idol and is praised as "the most ambitious Hollywood sci-fi film in the past decade."