2023 Oscars: Ratings Dip Again, But Lots to Love for Movie Fans

The Academy Awards have struggled to mount their once mighty TV audiences for a fair few years, with even last year’s Will Smith saga failing to bump interest in 2023.

Figures relayed by World of Reel indicate that the 2023 Oscars viewership sunk to 15.6 million, around 1 million short of last year. It’s a long fall from the 46.33 million put up in 2000. Audiences simply aren’t keen on seeing their favorite actors stand up for several minutes, give a speech, and endure some soft comedy in the meantime.

Still, TV ratings aside, the Academy Awards are still a celebration of the film medium, pointing to the very best creations of the year and inviting talented people from across entertainment. Even if you didn’t tune in, there was plenty to enjoy at the Oscars this year.

Great movies getting the kudos they deserve

The nominations list for the 2023 Oscars was loaded with incredibly well-made films and touching stories, most of which are worth adding to your watch list. With such variety, it can be tough to pick. So, to get started, it can be helpful to use the ExpressVPN movie flowchart to find the best pick of the nominees for you.

You start with the question, “Ready to cry?” and if not, you move down to “How about an ensemble of crazy rich people?” This side could lead you down to a powerful performance from Cate Blanchett in Tár or even the war epic All Quiet on the Western Front.

There is a chance that you’ll end up with the not-worth-the-wait sequel to Avatar, or perhaps the contrived Glass Onion, but for the most part, you’ll end up with a superb flick worthy of an award. If you want what the Academy deemed to be the best of the best, though, you could go with one of the Oscars award winners.

For this, you could watch Brendan Fraser in The Whale, which earned him the best lead actor trophy, or Everything Everywhere All at Once for its sweep of Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.

Everything else that happened at the Oscars

Much as she commanded the headlines in the run to the Super Bowl, Rihanna once again affirmed her long-awaited comeback with a performance at a major US event. The Barbadian songstress performed Lift Me Up from the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

As always, the red carpet was graced by a whole host of the biggest names in Hollywood and from across the entertainment world. Singer-actress Lady Gaga may have turned up late, but she still managed to win over those waiting with a small act of kindness on the red carpet, going to help up a cameraperson after they tripped over.

Of course, after the awards and the many, many speeches were through, it was on to the after parties for the 95th Academy Awards. The Vanity Fair bash was teeming with celebrities, even leading to a reunion of Dawson’s Creek stars and a kiss between Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, as reported by Harper’s Bazaar. Then, it was on to the private party put on by Jay-Z and Beyoncé.

Though viewership sank for the Oscars, that doesn’t mean that the standard of the films being awarded has fallen. It’s well worth watching those coveted award-winners and even checking in on the occurrences of the rest of the event – if you’re one for celebrity culture, that is.