Oscars audience drops to all-times-low

The number of people watching the Oscars dropped to an all-time low on Sunday, overnight figures reveal.

Just 9.85 million US viewers tuned in to the ceremony, a drop of 58% from the previous low of 23.6 million in 2020.

Interest in the event was dealt a double blow by the lack of blockbuster contenders, and audience fatigue with drab Covid-era award ceremonies, BBC News reports.

And despite historic wins for Anthony Hopkins, Chloé Zhao and Daniel Kaluuya, reviews were overwhelmingly negative.

TV Line deemed the event "a painfully earnest snoozefest", while IndieWire called it an "insiders' awards show [that] collapsed under its own weight".

The Arts Desk said it was "dispiriting throughout" and asked why winners were allowed "to yammer on incessantly".

Even Variety's more upbeat review took issue with its "insistence on upending its own order for the sake of it".

In a pandemic-necessitated break with tradition, this year's Oscars were moved from their usual home at Hollywood's Dolby Theater to Los Angeles's Union Station.

The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg felt it was a fitting location for the ceremony given "it was, in some ways, a trainwreck".