LOS ANGELES, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Hollywood insiders are complaining about the disadvantages caused by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences changing the date of the Oscars.
This year's Academy Awards will be held Feb. 29, almost one month earlier than in prior years, a shift that touches everything from ad dollars to number of films released, according to Monday's Los Angeles Times.
Typically, January has been a key release month for Oscar contenders. Now, with an earlier ballot deadline of Jan. 17, many of these films were released in November and December, creating a void at the January box office. In January 2004, 23 films were released or widened its distribution, down from 37 in January 2003.
To keep up with the changing awards calendar, film studios also shifted Oscar-oriented advertising dollars into November and December, with such spending falling off as the Oscar season ends a month early.
Oscar night was moved in hopes of increasing excitement around the awards show.
"By the end of March, there was a feeling that a kind of awards show malaise had set in," said Leslie Unger, Academy spokeswoman. "Even movies released in December were three months removed from people's minds."
