Oscars 2019: Theater Chains Exclude 'Roma' From Best Picture Showcase
With the announcement of the 2019 Oscar nominations on Tuesday morning came the usual assortment of snubs and surprises. But "Roma," tied for the most Academy Award nods this year, is being ignored in a different -- and seemingly more deliberate -- way.
Two of the largest theater chains in the country, AMC and Regal, will not include "Roma" in their annual showcase of Best Picture nominees. The Netflix film was the first feature from the streaming service to net the Academy's most prestigious nomination.
But that status also means that "Roma," like other Netflix releases, doesn't follow traditional theatrical windows, opting for significantly shorter runs in multiplexes (usually just long enough to qualify for awards consideration) before reverting back to exclusive streaming availability. That makes the flick an outlier in this year's field -- and an outsider, as far as the big theater chains are concerned.
Several big chains -- including Cinemark, AMC, and Regal -- hold annual marathon screenings of all the Best Picture nominees, usually about two weeks before the Oscars ceremony. But as AMC explained in a statement, "Roma" won't be in the lineup.
"For more than a decade, movie-lovers have enjoyed the AMC best picture showcase to catch up on the nominated films that played at AMC throughout the prior year," the company said in a statement. "This year, Academy members nominated a film that was never licensed to AMC to play in our theaters. As such, it is not included in the AMC best picture showcase."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Regal will also exclude "Roma." There's no word yet on whether Cinemark will follow suit.
At least the film can console itself with its 10 Academy Award nominations, several of which it seems almost certain to win. The Oscars will air on ABC on Sunday, February 24.
[via: The Hollywood Reporter]