Academy Awards postponing new 'popular film' Oscar
Many believed the proposed new award would honor blockbusters such as Black Panther.
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Many Oscar-watchers believe Black Panther would've been nominated for the popular movie award.
Apparently the Academy Awards' new "popular" movie category announced recently wasn't very... popular.
The Academy of Motion Pictures said Thursday that its planned new category involving achievement in popular film is on hold.
"There has been a wide range of reactions to the introduction of a new award, and we recognize the need for further discussion with our members," Academy CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement.
In August, the Academy of Motion Pictures announced the planned addition of the category. Few details were made available, but it seemed likely the group wanted to recognize giant blockbusters such as Marvel's Black Panther.
Such big-budget films are often recognized in visual effects and other technical categories, but are seldom chosen as best picture. The features nominated in the popular film category would also have been eligible for best picture, which does seem to confuse the issue, and may have contributed to the postponement of the category.
The category could resurface. The academy "will examine and seek additional input regarding the new category," the statement said.
The Academy Awards are scheduled for Feb. 24 and will air on ABC. Nominees will be announced in January.
