Oscar adds a new award, not for moviemakers but rather the theatres that show their films.

Well, it is not exactly an Oscar, but rather a new honor that “celebrates” moviegoing and the great tradition of the theatrical experience.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today: The Academy Marquee List, which is a global award “designed to recognize the most remarkable movie theaters around the world and honor the very best in exhibition”. The Academy says it will recognize theaters that provide exceptional audience experiences, preserve cinematic history and serve as cultural anchors in their communities. 

The initiative, which launches in the spring of 2027 just as the Academy celebrates its 100th anniversary year, was proposed by AMPAS Directors Branch Governor Jason Reitman who recently became an “exhibitor” himself after spearheading an effort to save the iconic Fox Village Westwood Theatre after its lease agreement with Regency Theatres ended and the L.A. Historical Landmark’s future became a big question mark. Reitman brought in 30+ famous filmmakers including such names as Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan to contribute to the cause, save the theatre, and share part ownership with the hope of reopening the landmark in 2027 in an operating partnership now with American Cinematheque which has helped save such other movie palaces as the Egyptian in Hollywood and the Aero in Santa Monica. There is hope This admirable AMPAS effort to bring much needed recognition to the movie going experience will include 25 theaters from the United States and 25 international theaters. A committee of Academy members across all branches will select the theaters, and these will be approved by the Academy’s Board of Governors. 

“We are thrilled to launch the Academy Marquee Theater List, which will celebrate moviegoing and honor theaters that bring communities together through the power of cinematic storytelling,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor. “From classic movie palaces, to multiplexes, to independent cinemas, the Academy Marquee Theater List will recognize the best movie theaters around the world and unite our global film industry. We are deeply grateful to Governor Jason Reitman for sharing the idea for this program and to the entire Board of Governors for their guidance and support in launching this initiative.”Eligible movie theaters must be brick-and-mortar theaters that operate year-round and can be located anywhere in the world. Theaters may show first-run films or repertory screenings. A maximum of 10 theaters operated by the same theater chain or owner may be submitted in a single submission cycle but it will include a fee per submission.The evaluation criteria for the movie theaters include the following factors:  Community engagement, Visual and audio presentation, Programming Diversity, inclusion and accessibility, Historic significance, and preservation, Theater design, lighting, conditions, and Concessions. Selected movie theaters won’t be getting an actual Oscar statuette or necessarily any recognition of the Academy Awards themselves, but will be featured on the Academy’s digital platforms, including its website and social media channels, and will receive a physical certification to display in their lobbies.

The application is available now, with a deadline of Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at 5pm PT. As noted there is a fee per submission but an early bird discount (theatres know all about that), with a tiered application schedule:  Early: US $250  Monday, June 1 – Tuesday, June 30  Regular: US $350 Wednesday, July 1 – Friday, July 3 Late: US $450 Saturday, August 1 – Tuesday, August 25.

I applaud this initiative. The pandemic certainly took its toll on our great theatres just here in L.A. The Landmark theatres on Pico closed, Arclight went out of business, the Cinerama Dome remains boarded up since 2020 with its future still unknown, and the Bruin across the street from the Village in Westwood is also empty (its Regency lease also expired) despite a brief comeback when Barbie brought the crowds back there. This is a problem around the world but if putting the Motion Picture Academy’s good housekeeping seal of approval on the best theatres around the globe it could also encourage the exhibition community to make sure all their movie houses and multiplexes are as state-of-the-art as possible and an experience that promotes seeing movies where they should be seen.

The Academy itself has one of the best theatres in the world, the Samuel Goldwyn, right in its building on Wilshire, and that is where films get their official Oscar screenings. Sadly too few members partake of the opportunity to see these movies in the best possible conditions on that big screen, too often content to watch movies on the Academy’s digtial screening room. Fortunately Home Theatre Systems aren’t eligible for this award.

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