Neon CEO Tom Quinn spoke up about the debate around the new guidelines for Best Picture eligibility announced by the Academy this summer. At a panel on box office strategies at the Zurich summit, he gave his take on the new standards– and he took the side that many did not think he would
“I don’t think that you should mandate a streamer to forcibly release a film across 500 screens because that’s what the Academy says – that I do not agree with. It’s their business. They should treat their films as they see fit,” Quinn said. Instead, he thinks they should report box office numbers instead. “Because what Best Picture winner sounds great when it has earned $100,000? There’s a potency to that inside of voter consideration, and I still think it matters. Then everybody can do what they want and let the voters decide. But the over mandating is also something I don’t think works.”
The new rules regarding the criteria for Best Picture consideration will take effect in time for the Oscars in 2025 and expand the current one-week release in qualifying U.S. cities. The move is intended to support films on the silver screen and impact streamers, who submit films with only minimum eligibility requirements.
However, Quinn believes that streamers should be able to set their own release strategies. There are also worries that the new rules could negatively impact non-U.S. or English-language releases being considered for Best Picture nominations.
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