Since the Oscar nominees were announced, the Hollywood Academy made it clear that it had only one objective for this edition: to recapture the audiences that it lost over the years.
The last installments had not had much impact, and fewer and fewer viewers were hooked on the gala.
Through a great marketing move in which the cast of
Barbie
and
Bad Bunny
played a central role, they achieved their goal.
This year, the most prestigious awards ceremony in the world of cinema was watched by 19.5 million viewers in the United States
Another change that could indicate the increase in viewers is that this year the ceremony started an hour earlier.
Last year, 18.8 million people watched the Oscars, so the increase was 4%.
Although the increase does not seem too significant, the 2024 edition of the Oscars was the most watched since 2020. The 2021 award (in times of covid) was the least watched in history with only 10.4 million viewers.
Then things improved, with 16.6 million in 2022 and 18 and 19 last year and this year, respectively.
The Oscar winners, in the acting categories.
AP Photo
Apparently, the box office phenomenon generated by the simultaneous releases
of Barbie
and
Oppenheimer
(two of the most nominated films of the night) attracted the interest of moviegoers once again towards the gala.
Or maybe it was just Ryan Gosling on stage with Slash.
The Academy's strategy
The results are visible, but nothing was a coincidence.
It's been a long time since the Oscars were talked about massively on social media, but this year was the exception.
When the nominations came out, users realized that neither Greta Gerwig nor Margot Robbie (the director and star of
Barbie
) were in their main categories.
And the criticism began to rain.
Jennifer Lawrence presenting the Oscar to Emma Stone.
Photo EFE
Despite the controversy (and the defense that Ryan Gosling made in favor of his castmates) the advertising they launched to promote the ceremony took place in the world of
Barbie
, and they even joked about the controversy of the shortlists.
This continued to increase the debate and expectation for the Oscars, but they didn't stop there.
A week before the ceremony, they announced that, as was done in 2009, five past winners were going to present the awards in the acting categories, to once again generate that emotional moment.
And so it was: Jamie Lee Curtis, Jennifer Lawrence and Lupita Nyong'o were some of those in charge of introducing the actresses nominated for best actress and best supporting actress.
And the same thing happened in the men's categories.
Ke Huy Quan and Brendan Fraser, among others, took the Dolby Theater stage.
Slash with Ryan Gosling, on stage at the Dolby Theatre.
APF Photo
The musical moment of the night
Without a doubt, Ryan Gosling stole the show when he sang
I'm Just Ken.
The song, from the Barbie
soundtrack
, was one of the most nominated for best original song, and left out
Dance The Night,
by Dua Lipa.
At first, there were doubts about whether the
La La Land
actor would perform this song, but his presence was confirmed a few days before the delivery.
And it definitely did not disappoint.
Video
Ken and Slash starred in the Oscar night moment singing the Barbie hit together with the audience of actors and actresses.
Wearing a pink Gucci suit, black sunglasses and a cowboy hat, Gosling began his incredible presentation from the audience.
But the surprises began when he went on stage with his fellow
Barbie
cast (all of them playing different Kens) and did a choreography inspired by Marilyn Monroe's
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
.
As a finishing touch, Slash, the guitarist of Guns'N Roses, appeared to accompany the song with his guitar (something he had already done for the film's soundtrack).
The video and photos of this incredible moment continue to circulate on social networks to this day, and made the ceremony even more popular.
Gosling was very well advised and generated two viral moments.
The first, when he came to sing with his castmates.
The second, aimed at fans of
La La Land
, when he approached Emma Stone.
POS