Apple Plans On Releasing Six Movies A Year For Oscar Consideration

Apple is getting into the original movie and TV game with their upcoming streaming service Apple TV+. And just like their chief competitor Netflix, they have their eye on Oscar gold. According to a new report, Apple hopes to release "six small-budget movies a year with an eye toward stories that could win Academy Awards." But will this plan for Apple Oscar movies work?

It's taken a few years, and some naysayers remain, but Netflix recently crawled out of the muck and won some Oscars. They released the acclaimed Roma last year, and helped shepherd that film into several Oscar nominations, winning Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film in the process. Now that Netflix has kicked down the Oscar door for streaming platforms, others want to follow suit. Like Apple TV+, for instance. Apple's upcoming streaming service hasn't even launched yet, but a new report in the NY Post indicates the company already has a plan in place to take home some Academy Awards.

According to the Post, Amazon plans on financing "six small-budget movies a year with an eye toward stories that could win Academy Awards." And that's not all:

Hollywood sources say the tech giant has been approaching "elevated" directors and other film talent in recent months to talk about bankrolling projects with Oscar-winning potential...Apple is looking to spend $5 million to $30 million per project...

As you might have guessed, Apple was inspired by Netflix's Roma success to take this approach. Apple already has a deal in place to work with popular indie distributor A24, but this Oscar approach is said to be separate from the A24 deal. Instead, a source says that Apple is aiming for something akin to "Focus Features-esque award contenders" like BlacKkKlansman and Dallas Buyers Club.

That all sounds well and good, but it also seems like the folks at Apple are a little unsure about what they're hoping to achieve with Apple TV+ overall. "They are literally anxious and clueless about what they really want to do," the source told the Post. "Half the culture hates them making content, and the other half wants to meet stars."

However this plays out, if Apple is serious about releasing Oscar-worthy films, they're going to need to screen them in theaters for at least a week. Current Academy rules indicate that a one-week theatrical run is mandatory. Netflix usually handles this with very limited theatrical runs for their titles, while services like Amazon have attempted much longer and wider theatrical releases. We'll have to wait and see what course Apple takes here.