OSCAR TV RATINGS SCORE POST-PANDEMIC HIGH
The 96th Academy Awards draw 19.5 million viewers, the most for any awards show since 2020.
The 2024 Oscars were the most watched in four years.
The 96th Academy Awards scored the biggest audience for any awards show since 2020.
Last year’s ceremony drew 18.76 million viewers. The Oscar telecast has slowly built back its audience after bottoming out with the pandemic-affected 2021 awards, which drew only 10.4 million viewers for a vastly scaled-down telecast (which also aired in late April, not its usual March spot).
Sunday’s telecast started at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, an hour earlier than in recent years. The earlier start (and end) time likely played a part in the show’s audience growth, as did the presence of two blockbuster best picture nominees in Oppenheimer and Barbie. The audience for the Oscars peaked in its final half-hour with 21.9 million viewers.
The Oscars remained the most watched awards show of the season, outdrawing February’s Grammy Awards by about 2.4 million viewers. Both the Grammys and the Golden Globes (9.47 million viewers) had substantial audience growth this year, while the delayed Emmy Awards went the other way, falling to an all-time low in viewers in January.
OPENING THIS WEEK
"One Life" — OPENS TODAY AT THE MICHIGAN
Based on the book "If It's Not Impossible...: The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton" by Barbara Winton, this film tells the incredible, emotional true story of Nicholas "Nicky" Winton (Johnny Flynn), a young London broker who visits Prague in December 1938. In a race against time, Winton convinces Trevor Chadwick (Alex Sharp) and Doreen Warriner (Romola Garai) of the British Committee for Refugees in Czechoslovakia to rescue hundreds of predominantly Jewish children before Nazi occupation closes the borders. Fifty years later, Nicky (Anthony Hopkins) is haunted by the fate of the children he wasn't able to bring to safety in England. It's not until the BBC show "That's Life!" re-introduces him to some of those he helped rescue that he finally begins to come to terms with the guilt and grief he carried -- all the while skyrocketing from anonymity to a national hero. From director James Hawes.
"Love Lies Bleeding" — OPENS TODAY AT THE STATE
From director Rose Glass comes an electric new love story; reclusive gym manager Lou falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Vegas in pursuit of her dream. But their love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou's criminal family. Starring Kristen Stewart, Katy M. O'Brian, and Ed Harris.
COMING SOON
"Problemista" — OPENS THURSDAY, MARCH 21 AT THE STATE
A 2023 American surrealist comedy written, directed, and co-produced by Julio Torres. It stars Torres, Tilda Swinton, RZA, Greta Lee, Catalina Saavedra, James Scully, and Isabella Rossellini. The film follows a struggling aspiring toy designer from El Salvador who starts working for an erratic art-world outcast in New York City, hoping to stay in the country and realize his dream before his work visa expires.
SPECIAL SCREENINGS DOWNTOWN
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" — PLAYS TONIGHT AT 7:30 PM AT THE STATE
Part of the Late Night Classics series
Following her rescue from the devastating Quarter Quell, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) awakes in the complex beneath the supposedly destroyed District 13. Her home, District 12, has been reduced to rubble, and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) is now the brainwashed captive of President Snow (Donald Sutherland). At the same time, Katniss also learns about a secret rebellion spreading throughout all of Panem -- a rebellion that will place her at the center of a plot to turn the tables on Snow. From director Francis Lawrence.
"Hundreds of Beavers" — PLAYS FRIDAY, MARCH 15 AT 7:30 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
A 2022 American slapstick comedy film directed by Mike Cheslik and written by Cheslik and Ryland Brickson Cole Tews. The film premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 29, 2022. The film has received widespread acclaim from critics.
Jean Kayak (Tews) finds himself stranded in a surreal winter landscape with nothing but his dim wits to guide him. Against a backdrop of ruthless elements and sinister creatures - all played by actors in full-sized mascot-like beaver costumes – Kayak develops increasingly complex traps in order to win the hand of a mischievous lover. Monty Python/Three Stooges meet Rube Goldberg on the big screen.
"In Bruges" — PLAYS FRIDAY, MARCH 15 AT 9:30 PM AND THURSDAY, MARCH 21 AT 7:30 PM AT THE STATE
Part of the Late Night Classics series
After a particularly difficult job, Irish hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) head to Belgium to hide out until things cool down. Ray hates the medieval city they land in, but Ken finds its beauty and peacefulness enchanting. Their experiences become increasingly surreal and possibly life changing as they encounter tourists, locals, an American dwarf and a potential romance for Ray. From director Martin McDonagh ("The Banshees of Inisherin")
Fly Fishing Film Tour 2024 — PLAYS SATURDAY, MARCH 16 AT 5 PM AND 8 PM AT THE STATE
The 18th annual Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) is back on the road January 2024 with a top-notch selection of short films that are sure to get you fired up for the season ahead.
The F3T is the original and largest fly fishing film event of its kind. Come for the action and stay for the giveaways and camaraderie that will feed your fishing addiction.
"Adam's Rib" — PLAYS MONDAY, MARCH 18 AT 6:30 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the We Can Do It! - Pioneering Women of Hollywood's Golden Age film series
A courtroom rivalry finds its way into the household when prosecuting lawyer Adam Bonner (Spencer Tracy) faces off against his wife, Amanda (Katharine Hepburn), who happens to be a defense attorney. Working on opposite sides of a lawsuit where a woman (Judy Holliday) has shot her cheating husband (Tom Ewell), Adam and Amanda are both determined to win the case, and their home becomes the setting for comical showdowns, with neither spouse willing to relent. From director George Cukor.
NT Live: "Vanya" — PLAYS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20 AT 7 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Andrew Scott ("Fleabag," "All of Us Strangers") brings multiple characters to life in Simon Stephens’ ("The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time") radical new version of Chekhov’s "Uncle Vanya."
Hopes, dreams, and regrets are thrust into sharp focus in this one-man adaptation which explores the complexities of human emotions.
Filmed live during its sold-out run in London’s West End, Vanya will be playing exclusively in cinemas in 2024.
"One Cut from the Dead" — PLAYS THURSDAY, MARCH 21 AT 7:15 PM AT THE MICHIGAN
Part of the U-M Center for Japanese Film Studies 2024 Series
Real zombies attack a hack director and a film crew who are shooting a low budget zombie film in an abandoned WWII Japanese facility. Presented in Japanese with English subtitles.
Curator's note: The film took Japan by storm in 2017, raking in a profit a thousand times higher than its minimal cost. Aside from the fun mix of comedy and shock, audiences were drawn by the premise: a one-shot zombie film.
CONTINUING DOWNTOWN
A 2023 drama film directed by Wim Wenders, from a script written by Wenders and Takuma Takasaki. A co-production between Japan and Germany, the film combines four short stories and stars Kōji Yakusho in the role of a toilet cleaner. The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered on 25 May and won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the Best Actor Award for Kōji Yakusho. It was nominated for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, becoming the first film not directed by a Japanese filmmaker to be nominated as the Japanese entry.
Hirayama seems utterly content with his simple life as a cleaner of toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his very structured everyday routine he enjoys his passion for music and for books. And he loves trees and takes photos of them. A series of unexpected encounters gradually reveal more of his past. A deeply moving and poetic reflection on finding beauty in the everyday world around us.
For the 19th consecutive year, the Oscar-Nominated Short Films are playing the Michigan Theater. With all three categories offered – Animated, Live Action and Documentary – this is your annual chance to predict the winners (and have the edge in your Oscar pool)! A perennial hit with audiences around the country and the world, don’t miss this year’s selection of shorts. Please know, essentially, none of these programs are for children, not even the animation. The Academy Awards take place Sunday, March 10th.
Oscar-nominated Short Films 2024: Live-Action
- "The After" (Canada)
- "Invincible" (Denmark)
- "Knight of Fortune" (USA)
- "Red, White and Blue" (UK)
- "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" (UK)
Oscar-nominated Short Films 2024: Animated
- "Letter to a Pig" (France)
- "Ninety-Five Senses" (USA)
- "Our Uniform" (Iran)
- "Pachyderme" (France)
- "War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko" (USA)
Oscar-nominated Short Films 2024: Documentary
- "Island in Between" (Taiwan)
- "Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó" (USA)
- "The ABCs of Book Banning" (USA)
- "The Barber of Little Rock" (USA)
- "The Last Repair Shop" (USA)
A 2024 American epic science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jon Spaihts. The sequel to "Dune" (2021), it is the second of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel "Dune" by Frank Herbert and follows Paul Atreides as he unites with the Fremen people of the desert planet Arrakis to wage war against House Harkonnen. Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem reprise their roles from the first film, with Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and Léa Seydoux joining the ensemble cast.
The film will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
A 2023 historical drama film written and directed by Jonathan Glazer, loosely based on the 2014 novel by Martin Amis. It stars Christian Friedel as the German Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss, who strives to build a dream life with his wife, Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), in a new home next to the German Auschwitz concentration camp.
The film premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2023 to acclaim, winning the Grand Prix Prize. It was named Best Film by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and selected as one of the top-five international films of 2023 by the National Board of Review.
The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Glazer and Best International Feature Film. A new film from writer/director Jonathan Glazer (‘Under the Skin’)
A 2023 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Cord Jefferson, in his feature directorial debut. Based on the 2001 novel "Erasure" by Percival Everett, the film follows a frustrated novelist-professor who jokingly writes an outlandishly stereotypical "Black" book out of spite, only for the book to be published and receive widespread fame and acclaim. It stars Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, and Keith David.
Director Cord Jefferson's hilarious directorial debut, which confronts our culture's obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who is fed up with the establishment profiting from "Black" entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish "Black" book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
From director Yorgos Lanthimos ("The Favourite," 2018) and starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe. Brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, a young woman runs off with a lawyer on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, she grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.
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