Oscars 2021 Delayed: Studios Are Thrilled With The 'Extra Time'

The postponement of the 2021 Oscars apparently has movie production studios rejoicing due to the extra time they've gotten to fine tune their films.

Given the extensive number of postponed events due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it was assumed for quite some time that the 93rd Academy Awards would also be joining the list.

On Monday (June 15), several media outlets and sources confirmed that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has officially decided to push back the 2021 Oscars to April 25 — two months later than its original schedule.

On the flipside, the move to delay the awards ceremony seems to have afforded several film studios a great opportunity to possibly get their movies ready and out in time for the nominations. An Academy member told Variety that postponing the Oscars can be a “much needed boost,” especially for films that have been halted post-production.

“Given everything that has been going on, the extra time is important,” the source stated, referring to the qualifying film release deadline that has also been pushed from Dec. 31 to Feb. 28, 2021.

Per Variety, several film projects contending for the Oscars have been bailing out of the 2021 qualifications prior to the Academy Awards’ recent date switch. Instead, these Oscar contenders have reportedly opted for a 2022 run considering they lack the time to finish movie production and post-production by the end of the year.

Films such as Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel,” which stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, as well as Baz Luhrman’s untitled Elvis Presley film are among the many movies that could benefit from the 2021 awards postponement.

As for films that were already lined up for a 2020 release, no changes have been announced just yet following the news of the Oscars delay.

“Who knows what awards season is going to look like?” an awards consultant said to Variety. “But at least we know when the Oscars are. That’s a good start.”

Nominations will be announced on March 15 before the Oscars telecast on April 25, regardless of what changes there will be.

On another note, postponements are also being expected for other awards shows, namely the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards, the PGAs and DGAs, as well as the Spirit Awards. Any official date changes are yet to be announced.