The ratings for the Oscars awards ceremony, as a television event, have been dropping steadily for years, with last years’ program on ABC the least watched in history. So the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced some changes, including a new category: most popular film. This has a lot of people confused — what makes a movie “popular”? And some were outraged, including Rob Lowe, whose tweet made our headline. Here’s another hot take:

We reached out to Tatiana Siegel, deputy film editor at The Hollywood Reporter, for some context. She talked to academy members who agreed that it’s a grab for ratings, but that doesn’t mean its implications won’t affect moviemakers. 

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