The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has changed its rules because of the coronavirus pandemic, allowing streaming-only films to be eligible for the 2021 Oscars.
Previously, all films had to have had at least three showings a day in theaters within Los Angeles County for seven consecutive days to be eligible for the Oscars. The academy's Board of Governors announced the rules Tuesday, citing the closures of movie theaters around the world.
Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson insisted in a joint statement that the rule change was temporary.
"The Academy firmly believes there is no greater way to experience the magic of movies than to see them in a theater. Our commitment to that is unchanged and unwavering," the statement said. "Nonetheless, the historically tragic COVID-19 pandemic necessitates this temporary exception to our awards eligibility rules."
The academy will later agree on a date to suspend the rule, and studios will have to return to the in-theater showings to be eligible. The organization also plans to expand eligible theaters beyond Los Angeles County to include other cities, such as New York and Chicago.
Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak
With the rise of original content made by streaming services such as Amazon and Netflix, the debate about whether the academy's eligibility rules needed to be updated predate the pandemic.
Netflix, which took home multiple 2019 Oscars for "Roma," defended streaming services in a tweet last year. The company tweeted that it loved cinema but that it also loved making cinema more accessible to people and giving filmmakers more avenues to share art.
"These things are not mutually exclusive," the tweet said.
