2021 Oscars Facts: 93rd Academy Awards By The Numbers

The 2021 Oscars will the first during the COVID – 19 pandemic. As of today the 2021 Oscars will also count as a film production. Audience members will not have to wear a mask on-air. Thirteen months into a pandemic! Variety first reported the news, which was announced during an April 19 Zoom meeting for nominees and other team members. Per the meeting, attendees will need to wear masks when they are off-camera, like during commercials, and the max audience capacity will be 170 people, with members rotating in between breaks.

With 2020 having been hard on the film industry but the 93rd Academy Awards just 6 days away, WalletHub today released its 2021 Oscars Facts report.

Here are some highlights from the report:

• $40M+: Total cost of Oscars ceremony.
• $10M: Cost of the look for an A-list actress attending the Oscars.
• 32%: Share of this year’s Oscar nominees who are women (highest percentage ever).
• $2M: Cost of a 30 second commercial during the Oscars telecast (64% less than the Super Bowl).
• $24.7K: Cost of the 50,000 square foot Oscars red carpet.
• $400: Current value of the 24-karat gold-plated Oscar statuette.
• 4th time: The Oscars telecast will not have a host.

WalletHub Q & A

What impact would the lack of diversity on the main categories have on the awards? Will they be considered less relevant for the general public as time goes by?

“Well, we do see diverse nominations this year,” said Jamsheed Akrami, William Paterson University. “Nine of the twenty acting nominees are non-white, including, for the first time, an Asian American, Steven Yeun, and a Moslem American, Riz Ahmed. Two women, Chloe Zhao and Emerald Fennel are also among the nominees for best director for the first time and half the nominees for the best motion picture have thematic elements that revolve around the minority issues and characters. That is a lot more diversity than we have ever seen in Oscar nominations.”

“I think the Academy awards will remain relevant. The proliferation of similar awards has just helped to amplify the prominence of the Oscars.”

“We as a society have to think long and deep about what diversity actually means,” said Tarik Ahmed Elseewi, Whitman College. “If it is simply a formal inclusion of different races or genders, then the problems of inequality we face now will never change. Instead, we need to be looking for diversity of thought, diversity of social class, and a diversity of ethnic and gendered experiences. If you include a Muslim woman on a film nominating panel, for example, it matters whether that person is from an elite social class or a member of the working class much more than her identity as a Muslim”

“The lack of inclusion in the areas of race, sexuality, and gender will harm the importance and seriousness of the Academy Awards and those members that receive the Awards for their acting talent as well as the trades and professions that are recognized for their skill,” said Mark A. Reid, University of Florida.

Who is going to win the award for Best Actor? Actress? Director? Motion Picture?

“I do not have a crystal ball,” said Howard Besser, New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. ”And history tells me that there is a big difference between who I want to win and who actually wins.”

“This is a tough year to predict, given the trend towards streaming, and new acting talent, hoping for a pleasant surprise,” said Catherine L. Benamou, University of California, Irvine. “Frances McDormand is positioned to win "best actress" for Nomadland, and I hope that MINARI and THE MOLE AGENT will get awards.”

“Actor - Chadwick Boseman,” said Jon Lewis, Oregon State University.

Actress – It is tough to call, I would like to see Andra Day win, but McDormand is the likely winner.

Director – Chloe Zhao.

Film – Nomadland.

To view the full 2021 Oscars Facts report including infographic filled with fun facts about the event visit: https://wallethub.com/blog/oscars-facts/19250