The film academy that governs one of cinema's most prestigious awards has tightened its eligibility rules, requiring qualifying films to play a longer and wider theatrical run. From the 2027 ceremony, a contender must screen for at least 21 days across a minimum of 10 markets, up from the current seven-day, single-market requirement.
The award has always been a statement about what cinema is for. Stretching the theatrical window is the academy drawing a line about where films should first meet an audience.
- Rosa Bianchi, film historian, Cinemateca Institute
The change lands in the middle of a long argument between streaming platforms, which favour short cinema runs before a title moves online, and theatre owners, who argue that meaningful runs sustain the medium.
What changes in 2027
The new rule roughly triples the required run length and adds a geographic spread requirement, meaning a token release in a single city will no longer qualify a film. Platforms that want awards recognition will have to commit to wider theatrical distribution.
The wider fight
Analysts expect the biggest streamers to comply rather than forgo eligibility, given how much awards recognition is worth in marketing. Independent distributors, by contrast, warn that a 10-market requirement raises the cost of qualifying and could squeeze smaller films out.