Sorry, ‘Black Panther’: Oscars Postpone ‘Most Popular Film’ Category Following Intense Backlash

Members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) better get ready for a cavalcade of SJWs to start knocking on their door to issue coercive threats, because “Black Panther” will not be winning the not-so-coveted “Best Popular Film” Oscar this year.

According to ABC News, the “Best Popular Film” that AMPAS proposed last month in an attempt to pull in more viewers has been shelved. The announcement comes after the decision prompted a significant amount of backlash from industry insiders and outsiders alike, all of whom saw the category as a white flag of surrender to the nadir in quality that the movies have reached in recent years.

“There has been a wide range of reactions to the introduction of a new award, and we recognize the need for further discussion with our members,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson in an announcement. “We have made changes to the Oscars over the years-including this year-and we will continue to evolve while also respecting the incredible legacy of the last 90 years.”

One of the reasons for the pause stems from the Academy’s inability to properly create a metric to determine what exactly would include a “Best Popular Film” as well as a way to include films released earlier this year.

“We have heard from many of you about improvements needed to keep the Oscars and our Academy relevant in a changing world. The Board of Governors took this charge seriously,” John Bailey and Dawn Hudson said in a letter sent to Academy members when the award was initially announced.

None of the Best Pictures in the past five years have crossed the $100 million line in the box office, according to Box Office Mojo. Once upon a time in Hollywood, popular films were quite often the Best Picture winner, but in the days of harlequin fish sex and racial demagoguery, popular movies that are also Best Picture films are gone with the wind.