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NEW YORK (AP) — Movie fans, rejoice! You can watch about two-thirds of the Oscar-nominated flicks from your couch.
But it’ll cost you. Of the 62 full-length movies and shorts nominated for any category, only 11 are available online through an all-you-can-watch subscription — Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime or HBO Now. A month’s subscription to all four will cost you more than $39. Buying or renting the remainder online will cost you about $175 more.
(This doesn’t include as many as 22 titles that aren’t available online at all.)
Narrowing your ambitions by focusing on just best picture and the four acting categories will still cost you about $70, not including the monthly subscriptions. And limiting yourself this way might set back your hopes of winning the Oscar pool.
Here’s your viewing guide:
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BEST PICTURE (AND DIRECTING)
None of the nine best picture nominees is available through a subscription service.
You can rent “Arrival” and “Hell or High Water” through Amazon, Google Play or Apple’s iTunes. You’ll have to buy downloads of “Hacksaw Ridge,” ”Manchester by the Sea” and “Moonlight” to watch over the weekend, though iTunes says rentals of all three are coming Tuesday. “Fences” will be available for purchase only next Friday.
Rentals typically cost about $3 or $4, or a dollar more if you want it in high definition. Buying downloads usually cost about $15 for standard definition or $20 for HD. Shop around, as prices aren’t always the same at the various services. Based on the cheapest options, including waiting for rentals, you’ll have to spend more than $35 on the best picture movies.
You’ll need to visit a theater for “Hidden Figures,” ”La La Land” and “Lion.” All three are available as pre-orders, meaning you buy now and the download will automatically be available whenever it comes out online. But the movies aren’t likely to be online before the Feb. 26 ceremony.
The good news is you’ll get the nominees for best directing out of the way, as all five movies are also up for best picture.
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ACTING NOMINEES
In addition to the best picture flicks, you’ll need to watch six more movies to catch everyone nominated for the four acting categories.
“Captain Fantastic,” ”Florence Foster Jenkins” and “Loving” are available for rent. “Nocturnal Animals” is available for purchase right away, with a rent option scheduled for Tuesday. “Jackie” comes out Tuesday.
The cumulative total: about $70.
To see “Elle,” you’ll need to visit your local cineplex or indie theater.
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SCREENPLAY CATEGORIES
All but two of the nominees in the two writing categories overlap with best picture. “The Lobster” is available through Amazon Prime, while “20th Century Women” isn’t online at all.
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FULL-LENGTH CARTOONS
Netflix has “Zootopia.” ”Kubo and the Two Strings” is available to rent. “Moana” will be available for purchase Tuesday. Head to theaters for “My Life as a Zucchini” and “The Red Turtle.”
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FULL-LENGTH DOCUMENTARIES
Netflix produced “13th” and streams it exclusively. Amazon Prime has “Life, Animated.” Hulu has “O.J.: Made in America” (as does WatchESPN, though you’ll need to sign in with a cable or satellite TV account).
“Fire At Sea” can be rented, while “I Am Not Your Negro” isn’t expected online until June.
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FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Rent “A Man Called Ove” and “Tanna.” ”Toni Erdmann” isn’t available until April 11. Pre-orders are being taken for “The Salesman,” but there’s no release date. Buy a ticket for “Land of Mine.”
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THE 15 SHORTS
The documentary shorts “Extremis” and “The White Helmets” are available exclusively at Netflix. You can purchase the animated “Piper” through Amazon, Google Play and iTunes. ITunes also has the live action “La Femme et le TGV” and is expected to get the animated “Blind Vaysha” and “Borrowed Time” on Tuesday. Shorts cost about $2 each to buy.
The cable channel Shorts HD plans to release the shorts online on Tuesday, likely in separate packages for each of the three categories. According to iTunes, the package for animated shorts will cost about $13 and will include four of the five nominees. You’ll have to buy Pixar’s “Piper” separately. It’s not known yet whether the packages for live action and documentary shorts will include all the nominees. Some have been left out in past years because of rights issues.
To make sure you see them all, you’ll need to visit a theater, where Shorts HD runs screenings of all of them. In smaller cities, screenings are sometimes held at libraries or museums instead.
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AND THE REST …
That leaves 15 movies for lower-profile categories such as music and makeup.
Netflix has “The Jungle Book,” while Hulu and Amazon Prime offer “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.” HBO has “Hail, Caesar!” and “Jim: The James Foley Story.”
Five other movies can be rented, while two are for purchase only.
That means theaters for four — if you can still find a screening. These include big releases such as “Rogue One” and “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” so perhaps you’ve seen them already.
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WATCHING THE SHOW
In major cities , the ceremony itself will be streamed online at abc.com and the ABC app if you can’t get to a TV. However, you’ll need to sign in with a cable or satellite account.
You also might be able to watch through an online TV subscription with Sling TV, PlayStation Vue or DirecTV Now. Availability depends on where you live; only a handful of ABC stations are offered this way.
For the E! channel’s red carpet coverage, you’ll need a subscription with an online TV service or a traditional cable or satellite provider. The cheapest plan with both ABC and E! is at DirecTV Now for $35 a month.
Oscar.com will have backstage and red-carpet coverage, starting at 7 p.m. ET. The stream continues once the ceremony begins at 8:30 p.m., but what’s on stage will be only on ABC. It’s free, with no cable or satellite account required.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
