Home Movie ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Writer Offers His Take on How to Fix the Oscar Ceremony

Jeff Loveness served as a writer for the 2017 telecast.

How does The Academy up the viewership of the Oscar ceremony? It’s a question that’s been raised every single year since the ratings started to plummet in 2014, and it seems as though no one has the right answer.

Yes, the 2022 Academy Awards did see a 58% uptick, but that was after a record-low ceremony in 2021. The viewership increased from 10.5 million in 2021 to 16.6 million in 2022, but when you compare that to the 20 to 40 million viewer range the Oscars hit in years past, it’s clear that the 2022 number is nothing to celebrate.

The producers have tried to shake things up by recruiting flashy hosts, cutting categories from the main telecast, trying to get viewers more involved via “fan favorite” awards, and more. Nothing worked. So where do they go from here? Is there anything that can be done to breathe new life into the telecast in a way that encourages more to watch?

During a recent conversation with screenwriter Jeff Loveness for his new movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, I opted to pose that exact question to him given his experience writing for the 2017 ceremony. Here’s his take on the matter:

“I think we need to step away from the viewership question. Who gives a shit about how many people watch a four-hour award show? Why are we making that such a big deal? Don’t cut off the poor sound designers who worked for two years to make a beautiful movie. I think, actually, the Oscars should lean in the other way and really showcase the humans who are making this stuff. We see celebrities literally every single day. I couldn’t learn more about Austin Butler if I tried, you know? I want to see the cinematographers, and I want to see [what] the weird costume designer ladies are wearing, who brought their dad there. I think if they pivoted towards the human creative side of it, that would make it incredible. And obviously, you have the pageantry and you have all the Hollywood stuff. I’m sure movie stars will show up. But quite literally, celebrate the movies. When’s the last time we just celebrated the movies, man?”

While ignoring the viewership question will likely cause issues with broadcast partner, ABC, and advertisers, potentially sparking funding concerns, is there really anything that can be done at this point? Why sit through a three-hour ceremony when you can watch the greatest hits on social media?

One can assume that many of the folks sitting through the entire ceremony are likely the ones with a deep passion for cinema and genuine enthusiasm to see the industry’s greatest honor bestowed upon deserving creators. Given the fact that I fall within that contingent, I share Loveness’ mindset; stop chasing ratings — a chase that seems more and more hopeless — and rather, just celebrate the movies.

Keep an eye out for my full interview with Loveness on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania coming soon!