A month after the end of a strange awards season altered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers of the Oscars are already planning the next ceremony, announcing Thursday that in 2022, the Academy Awards will take place a month later than usual, but will largely return to their pre-pandemic form.
The 94th Academy Awards will be held on March 27 at the show’s usual location, the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Thursday.
The eligibility deadline for films will return to its pre-pandemic date: Dec. 31 of the previous year.
However, some of the modifications the academy made specifically for the pandemic will continue. Oscar contenders will again be allowed to premiere on a streaming service or on-demand platform, without a theatrical release, given the varying pace at which moviegoers are returning to theaters.
Movies may also qualify by having a theatrical release in at least one of six qualifying cities or regions: Los Angeles, New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Miami or Atlanta. Drive-in theaters, which have seen a resurgence in popularity during the pandemic, will count for theatrical releases, the academy said.
Last year, the academy overhauled many of its procedures because of the COVID-19 pandemic, creating ripple effects across the entertainment industry. The modified and prolonged awards season concluded with the Oscars ceremony last month, which followed COVID-19 protocols and took place at a combination of different venues, including Los Angeles’ Union Station.
This time around, two Oscars traditions that were canceled because of the pandemic — the Governors Awards and nominees luncheon — will return on Jan. 15 and March 7, 2022, respectively. The nominations will be announced on Feb. 8. However, given the world’s continual state of flux, these dates are subject to change, the academy said.