All the Money, Ads, and Problems Behind the 2019 Oscars Ceremony

'Black Panther, 'Roma,' and 'A Star Is Born' are among those vying for the night's big prizes. But what else is at stake?

oscar
Getty

Image via Getty/Kurt Krieger/Corbis

oscar

As is tradition, there's both plenty to celebrate and plenty to lament about this year's Oscar nominees.

While you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who would question the quality of Alfonso Cuarón's excellent Roma or the history-making Black Panther, nods for Bohemain Rhapsody and Green Book have understandably been met with far less enthusiasm.

This year's ceremony is also particularly notable for its hostlessness in the wake of Kevin Hart's battle with resurfaced tweets. Earlier this month, Hart's Jumanji co-star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson suggested he had previously been approached about taking on the hosting gig but was forced to skip it due to scheduling.

There's also the fairly recent issue of the Academy's completely artless move to not broadcast awards for cinematography and other categories. That decision, thankfully, was roundly met with objection from acclaimed filmmakers including Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino.

For those looking to take a deeper dive into the trivia and stats behind this year's ceremony, WalletHub has unleashed a highly detailed visual accompaniment breaking down everything from the total cost of the average attendee ($1.5 million) to the cost of a first-page ad in the Hollywood Reporter during Oscars mania (a paltry $72,000).

Other notable bits in the breakdown include the number of women nominated for Best Director (zero, preposterously) and a closer look at the accuracy of using the Golden Globes to predict Oscar winners.

See WalletHub's full infographic below. The Oscars go down Feb. 24 live from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

oscars

Latest in Pop Culture