Regardless of No Slapping Motion the 2023 Oscars Recorded an Spectacular Enhance in Viewership

Photograph by way of Jeff Kravitz/Getty Pictures

Whether or not or not it’s hopes for extra Will Smith and Chris Rock-esque drama, the Marvel fandom getting behind Angela Bassett’s nomination, or maybe an uptick in curiosity to see whether or not Michelle Yeoh could make Oscars historical past, there have been many attracts to this yr’s Academy Awards – and early viewership statistics replicate that. 

The 2023 Oscars pulled in an viewers of 18.7 million this yr, which is a 12 p.c uptick on the notorious ceremony final yr throughout which Will Smith stormed the stage and assaulted present host Chris Rock, by way of Selection. 

Whereas this yr’s scores have been a far cry from the highs of the telecast in 1998 (the yr by which Titanic received Finest Image) which drew 55.3 million viewers, it’s nonetheless a year-on yr enchancment, although maybe now that this yr’s ceremony went again to being the tame business occasion we’ve at all times identified, it stays to be seen if that momentum will be stored up. In any case, the final time the Oscars exceeded 30 million viewers was in 2017, when Moonlight took residence Finest Image.

Whereas no extraordinarily gossip-worthy and slap-happy antics transpired on this yr’s present, the notorious Will Smith incident was on the very least referenced by this yr’s host Jimmy Kimmel, whose opening monologue resulted in maybe the goofiest grin we’ve ever seen strewn throughout Andrew Garfield’s face. 

Even with the aforementioned lack of drama, the 2023 Oscars nonetheless had loads of memorable moments. Ke Huy Quan’s emotional Finest Supporting Actor acceptance involves thoughts, as does John Travolta’s heartbreaking In Memoriam intro. After all, on the pinnacle of all of it was Michelle Yeoh’s landmark Finest Actress win, in the large All the things In all places All at As soon as sweep.