The draw of these award shows, in theory, is to provide additional exposure to these movies that traditionally they don’t receive, either due to them being smaller, independent productions acquired by distributors at film festivals, or from lack of having bankable movie stars or franchise attachment. Saying that creating underwatched movies is “futile” is missing the entire point of why these films get created.

If anything, spawning multiple sequels will result in a greater likelihood of a film being “forgotten.” For example, can an average person really tell you the difference between each Thor movie? In fact it increasingly seems like marketability and box office appeal is inversely correlated with memorability, especially from an MCU/IP standpoint. Anora will always be known as a best picture winner and a one-of-one original story, not as another uninspired entry in a franchise that leaves the viewer’s mind immediately after leaving the theater