Disney confirms that Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story will be on Disney+ in March, as streamers take full advantage of the Oscars.
Earlier this week, the Oscar nominations demonstrated clearly the shifting plates when it comes to movie distribution. The leading contender for this year’s Academy Awards is The Power Of The Dog, Jane Campion’s film that landed 12 nominations. Greenlit, paid for and distributed by Netflix, it may yet be the year that the streaming giant finally gets the Best Picture Academy Award it clearly craves (having come close with Roma, Marriage Story and The Irishman in previous years).
But go down the list of the other running favourites, and streaming is clearly playing its part. Dune (ten nominations) was simulatenously released on the HBO Max streaming service in America at the same time it landed in cinemas. Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast has been available via video on demand in the US from the end of last year, whilst King Richard has been on HBO Max since day one.
Yesterday, Disney announced – just as the film had mopped up seven Oscar nominations – that Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story was speeding its way to the Disney+ streaming service. This clearly capitalises on the awards buzz for the film, which had disappointed commercially on its cinema release. And whilst it’s an extension of Disney’s current theatrical release strategy – get them on the big screen, don’t hang around to get them to Disney+ – it’s a smart play too as Academy voters fill in their ballots.
In fact, go down the list of ten Best Picture Oscar nominees for 2022, and every one of them is available digitally in America, or will be by the start of March. Sure, some of them outside of The Power Of The Dog were funded or acquired by streamers (CODA, Don’t Look Up), but the rest have been, understandably, firmly made available widely in time for awards season.
It’s a far cry from the era not too long ago when a DVD release might be held back to capitalise on the commercial boost an Oscar run could give an otherwise low profile picture in particular. But this is the new normal, and having gone through a year where the Oscars themselves felt like a remote event, no chances are being taken in harnessing the spotlight the gongs offer.
