The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will now require members to watch every nominated film before casting their Oscar ballot, according to a report from Entertainment Weekly.

The change, headlined by EW as a "major Oscars rule change," ends the long-standing practice in which many voters relied on partial screenings, campaign materials, and industry buzz to fill out their final ballots. Going forward, members must certify they have seen all films in each category before voting.

What does the rule actually require?

The new mechanism tightens the link between viewing and voting for Academy members across the organization's branches. Specific certification details — such as how the Academy will verify viewings or which categories fall under the mandate — were not spelled out in the EW report, leaving several procedural questions open.

The practical effect, however, is straightforward: ballots will reflect the judgment of voters who have engaged with the full shortlist, rather than those who have sampled a handful of contenders.

How does this reshape the race?

For distributors and campaign strategists, the rule tilts the playing field toward films with broad accessibility and strong word-of-mouth. A title that performs well in theatrical runs and on streaming platforms gains an edge, because voters are more likely to have already crossed it off their viewing list.

Limited-release contenders — films that open in a handful of cities before expanding — face a steeper climb. Their campaigns must now assume voters will not reach for shortcuts. That raises the value of festival buzz, advance press, and aggressive screening schedules, since late-arriving awareness may not translate into completed viewings by ballot time.

What stays unchanged?

The rule does not redraw category lineups, alter the nomination phases, or change the Academy's branch-based voting structure. First-round nominations still emerge from branch-specific ballots, and the final round still consolidates the full membership.

It also does not, on its face, address the larger Phase 2 expansion that the Academy has been weighing for future ceremonies. The viewing mandate sits inside the existing framework.

What questions remain?

• Verification: How will the Academy confirm that members have watched every contender?
• Enforcement: What happens to a ballot cast by a member who has not completed all viewings?
• Branch exceptions: Will documentary, international, or short-film categories — where access can be limited — receive different treatment?
• Campaign response: Will studios shift spending toward more preview screenings and away from traditional For Your Consideration advertising?

Why the timing matters

A viewing mandate landing now is consequential because the Academy's membership is at one of its largest and most international points in history. As the voter pool has grown, the gap between the most-watched titles and the rest of the shortlist has widened. The new rule is an attempt to close that gap on the voters' side rather than on the campaigns' side.

For awards watchers tracking the season, the implication is simple: visibility and access will count for more than ever, and the campaigns that engineer the most thorough viewing experiences will hold the advantage when ballots open.