In a report originally curated by Deadline, movie theater chains AMC and Regal Cinemas will not be playing Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma along with the rest of the Best Picture nominees. Even though it has become one of the most acclaimed films of 2018, garnering numerous awards and being nominated for 10 Academy Awards (including Best Picture), it will not be a part of either chain’s Best Picture showcase.
Both AMC and Regal sell a pass for multiple screenings of the films nominated for Best Picture from the previous year following the Oscar nominations. It is excluding Roma because it was released through Netflix, with some independent screenings, and did not have a traditional release in theaters. While Regal seemed to ignore the elephant in the room and simply announced the films that would be included, AMC issued a statement saying, ““For more than a decade, movie-lovers have enjoyed the AMC Best Picture Showcase to catch up on the nominated films that played at AMC throughout the prior year. This year, Academy members nominated a film that was never licensed to AMC to play in our theatres. As such, it is not included in the AMC Best Picture Showcase.”
The move makes both theater chains look a bit archaic, considering that the wave of quality films distributed by streaming platforms are growing in number and are being premiered at festivals such as Sundance and South By Southwest. Cuaron’s black and white film released via Netflix on November 21st of last year and has a few screenings at various independent theaters or smaller chains, but can still be viewed on the streaming platform before the Academy Awards this year.
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