Just four weeks after their announcement about the new Popular Film category, the Academy has decided to postpone its debut until further notice, according to an official press release from The Academy.

In August, the Academy unveiled their brand new category, titled Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film. CEO of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Dawn Hudson commented, “We were excited to announce many changes to the Oscars because we wanted to show we are evolving.” However, criticism of the category quickly ensued.

While the Academy claimed that the category would promote more diversity and offer more nominations, many spoke against the new category, claiming that it would isolate certain ideas and beliefs. The Academy later revealed that an individual film could qualify for the Best Picture award and Popular Film award simultaneously, but failed to provide set details and guidelines about how exactly the winner would be chosen.

Additionally, many opposers, including Golden Globe nominee Rob Lowe, believed that this was simply a PR stunt from the Academy in order to reposition themselves in the public eye before the 2019 Oscars hit nationwide screens. Regardless of the intentions, the Academy has temporarily withdrawn its intentions to debut the Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film category until further notice.