The Oscars Have Been Pushed Back By Two Months, But Don’t Worry, ‘Sonic’ Can Still Win Best Picture

The 93rd Academy Awards were scheduled to be held on February 28, 2021, but due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony has been pushed back by two months, to April 25. “For over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring, and entertaining us during the darkest of times. Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our Awards date, is to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalized for something beyond anyone’s control,” Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a joint statement.

So, not only will the Oscars be held later than usual, the eligibility period for films to qualify for award consideration has also been revised. It’s now January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, which is good news for January and February 2021 releases Escape Room 2, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, and future Best Picture winner Cash Truck. Is it possible for Jason Statham and the titular truck to split Best Actor Let’s find out!

Here’s the schedule of dates leading up to the Oscars.

Preliminary voting begins: Feb 1, 2021

Preliminary voting ends: Feb. 5, 2021

Oscars shortlists announcement: Feb. 9, 2021

Nominations voting begins: Mar. 5, 2021

Nominations voting ends: Mar. 10, 2021

Oscar nominations announcement: Mar. 15, 2021

Oscars nominees luncheon: April 15, 2021

Final voting begins: April 15, 2021

Final voting ends: April 20, 2021

Oscars: April 25, 2021