The debate about whether a person should go to a movie theatre or watch a movie at home has become sort of an outdated question. With the COVID-19 pandemic, it makes getting to the movie theatre much harder for many people, since viewers have to sit in seats that are too close together for COVID-19 guidelines.

Currently, the question in Hollywood is whether or not movies on Netflix should be eligible for the Oscar.

“The film completes a run of at least seven consecutive days in the same commercial venue, during which period screenings must occur at least three times daily, with at least one screening beginning between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily,” the Academy Awards rules stated.

Since the COVID pandemic occurred, the rules have been modified. It has now turned to only movies that have/had a planned theatrical release. An issue rising is if a person doesn’t have a vaccine in some states, they aren’t even allowed to attend the theatrical screenings in person, as well as not being able to afford to go to a movie.

On the other hand, there is the side of people like Steven Spielberg who are not okay with Netflix being eligible for the Oscars due to the fact that Netflix and Disney run the entertainment industry from a post-COVID/lockdown standpoint. Steven Speilberg has said multiple times that “Steven feels strongly about the difference between the streaming and theatrical situation.”

The 93rd Academy Awards represented why it could potentially be a dangerous game enabling the streaming platforms because Netflix took home seven awards that night.

Living in a new day and age, it would be unfair to not let Netflix qualify for the Oscar. At the same time, how much easier can it be to watch something from home, instead of having to go to the actual theatre to watch it? Making stipulations for Netflix so they eventually don’t end up running the Oscars and taking multiple yearly awards. It should not be so easy for Netflix to start taking all these awards due to how convenient it lines up in history with a pandemic.

Neither side has equally fair chances because of how much easier it is to push out a movie by asking people to watch it from the comfort of their own homes. With COVID lockdown forcing people to stay home, it just puts the ball right in Netflix’s glove.

A step forward for everyone in the entertainment industry would be accepting that times change and that a new way of winning Oscars with new rules that are fair to everyone would be a good solution.

Potential Movie Oscar Contenders:

• “Being the Ricardos” (Amazon)
• “Belfast” (Focus Features)
• “C’mon C’mon” (A24)
• “CODA” (Apple Original Films)
• “Cyrano”
• “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix)
• “Dune” (Warner Bros.)
• “House of Gucci” (United Artists Releasing/MGM)
• “King Richard” (Warner Bros.)
• “Licorice Pizza” (United Artists Releasing/MGM)
• “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight Pictures)
• “Parallel Mothers” (Sony Pictures)
• “Spencer” (Neon and Topic Studios)
• “The Harder They Fall” (Netflix)
• “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix)
• “The Power of Dog” (Netflix)
• “The Tender Bar” (Amazon)
• “The Tragedy of Macbeth” (A24/Apple Original Films)
• “tick, tick, Boom!” (Netflix)
• West Side Story (20th Century Studios)