When MGM’s Louis B. Mayer announced the formation on Jan. 11, 1927, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, it wasn’t meant to give awards.

What Mayer wanted was a way to mediate Hollywood labor disputes without having unions represent filmmakers and studio workers. He first bounced the idea of director Fred Niblo, who’d made the 1925 epic “BEN-HUR,” actor Conrad Nagel & Association of Motion Picture Producers executive Fred Beetson. Mayer’s plan included an annual members banquet, but awards weren’t on the table yet.

The Academy would have members from only 5 moviemaking branches — acting, directing, producing, writing & technology. Mayer invited 36 prominent Hollywoodites to a Jan. 11 banquet at L.A.’s Ambassador Hotel, making them Academy founders. The group was incorporated May 4 and then elected Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. president & Fred Niblo first VP. There were 230 members and an honorary membership for movie pioneer Thomas Edison.

Events dashed Mayer’s hopes that the Academy would keep real Hollywood unions from taking hold. In the summer of 1927, Paramount led the studios in cutting salaries by 10% for all non-union labor. The Academy okayed it and moviemakers were livid. 500 actors, writers & directors met on July 6 to address the crisis at the Writers’ Club, an early screenwriters association. They were about to take action when the studios backed down. After other disputes, guilds emerged and evolved into the powerful force they are today.

In May 1928 an Academy committee was exploring giving “Awards of Merit.” By July, there were 12 categories and a voting system. The first Academy Awards, honoring 1927 & 1928’s best films, were held May 16, 1929, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Fairbanks hosted and 270 guests paid $5 apiece for tickets to the 15-minute ceremony. The awards, already nicknamed Oscars, were designed by MGM art director Cedric Gibbons and sculpted by George Stanley.

1929’s 12 winners were announced 3 months earlier, including 2 best pictures — Fox’s drama “SUNRISE” from German director F. W. Murnau for Unique & Artistic Picture and Paramount’s aerial action war drama “WINGS” from William Wellman for Outstanding Picture. These categories were intended as equally prime awards, recognizing different types of filmmaking.

A year later, the Academy scrapped Unique & Artistic in favor of its more commercial Outstanding Picture award — fueling to this day the Best Picture Oscar struggle between art films and mainstream movies.

“I found that the best way to handle [moviemakers] was to hang medals all over them. If I got them cups and awards, they’d kill themselves to produce what I wanted. That’s why the Academy Award was created.” – Louis B. Mayer

With 2021 having passed into the rearview mirror, Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro considers the road ahead for the industry and likes what he sees for exhibitors.  He sees major studios moving away from day & date releasing, based on clear evidence that it holds down box office grosses.

A report from the independent tracking firm Samba TV shows that titles that open online on the same day as their theatrical release will have limited viewership in both places.  All things being equal, movies released initially with an exclusive theatrical window outperformed day & dates releases.

While conventional wisdom has been that movies aimed at adult audiences will do best as streaming releases, Samba TV’s numbers show soft results for these titles online as well.  Critically acclaimed movies such as KING RICHARD, IN THE HEIGHTS and JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH each attracted no more than two million viewers at home.  As audiences over 45 once again get comfortable going to the movies, a theatrical release will once again become the most profitable way to distribute the dramas and musicals that have struggled during the pandemic.

Only Universal and Paramount have maintained their strategy into 2022 to open movies day & date.  This is not because of a lack of faith in theatrical releasing, but instead out of the need to provide a boost to their struggling streaming services Paramount+ and Peacock.  Meanwhile, studios with healthy online platforms such as Disney and Warner Bros. are re-focusing on the power of theatrical releasing.

January’s off to an icy start with THE 355, but exhibitors will soon have something to SCREAM about.

Paramount/Spyglass’s R-rated horror reboot should do mid-month killer business, opening 1/14 for MLK Weekend. Like most slasher tales, it’s tracking best with -25F. They’re a razor-sharp 11 points over the norm for first choice — vs. 8 points over norm one day earlier! Next best demo: -25M (8 points over norm).

Earlier this week, SCREAM’s top age group was 17-24 (5 points over norm), but it’s a little older now with 21-24 leading (11 points over norm). Good news: SCREAM’s lowest first choice age group is 45-54 (just 1 point over the norm). Those are the older adults doomsayers claim no longer go to theatres. Of course, they’re willing to “risk” hitting the multiplexes when something’s playing they really want to see —  like NO TIME TO DIE.

SCREAM (pictured – Courteney Cox) will have a longer than expected January runway in theatres now that Sony/Marvel’s PG-13 thriller MORBIUS has left 1/28 for 4/1. MORBIUS isn’t an Omicron victim. It was tracking so powerfully that elevating it to a spring release will maximize value to Sony/Marvel & exhibitors, alike.