Tijdens de Oscarceremonie van 25 april werd voor het eerst sinds 1972 de award voor Beste Film niet als laatste uitgereikt. In plaats daarvan werd de avond afgesloten met de categorieën Beste Actrice en Beste Acteur.

Vermoedelijk wilden Steven Soderbergh en zijn coproducenten de show eindigen met de postume overwinning van Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) voor Beste Acteur, maar het beeldje ging naar Anthony Hopkins (The Father).

Aangezien Hopkins niet aanwezig was om zijn Oscar in ontvangst te nemen, draaide de show op een sisser uit. Online reageerden heel wat critici en fans verbouwereerd.

Anderen waren teleurgesteld dat Boseman niet won en kwaad omdat de producenten hem zouden gebruikt hebben om suspense te creëren.

Een greep uit de reacties:

They build the entire show around a Chadwick Boseman ending and then Anthony Hopkins won and didn't show up

— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) April 26, 2021

I never truly believed that the producers of the show didn’t know who was gonna win the awards before they were announced until now

— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) April 26, 2021

The #Oscars  shifting Best Picture ahead of Best Actor just to snub Chadwick Boseman is why I’m losing faith in award shows

— Julian Del Gaudio (@JulianDelGaudio) April 26, 2021

An absent Anthony Hopkins winning over Chadwick Boseman during a ceremony built to end around a Boseman win while Joaquin Phoenix awkwardly stumbles through it all is…wow. Chaos!

— Jacob Hall (@JacobSHall) April 26, 2021

Wow, what a massively bad idea. And this overshadows the fact that both Anthony Hopkins and Chadwick Boseman were brilliant and one of them had to win. The spotlight is now shining solely on the producers. Huge mistake. From In Memoriam on, this show was a disaster.

— Dan Murrell (@MurrellDan) April 26, 2021

"we're putting best actor last to end on an emotional note" pic.twitter.com/1fEbEq290L

— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) April 26, 2021

Anthony Hopkins is without fault. Class-act and brilliant performance in The Father. Truly, he, Boseman, and Ahmed were all neck and neck for me.

Fault is on the Oscar producers who, for ratings, needlessly made the loss of an icon even harder on those anticipating his honor.

— Richard Newby (@RICHARDLNEWBY) April 26, 2021

They wanted a Boseman win as the big emotional sendoff and that backfired. Whoops.

— Garth Franklin (@darkhorizons) April 26, 2021

Every single indication felt like they moved around the categories so that Chadwick Boseman would win best actor at the very end of the show. And then Anthony Hopkins wins, doesn’t give a speech, and they roll credits. This is MAXIMUM chaotic energy

— Houston Coley (@blockbustedpod) April 26, 2021

Everyone expecting Chadwick Boseman to win

Joaquin Phoenix : “and the Oscar goes to Anthony Hopkins for The Father” pic.twitter.com/2KOaswHIQ3

— Shivam Chatak (@ShivamChatak) April 26, 2021

Steven Soderbergh rn: pic.twitter.com/G7KzWw72E6

— Mary Beth McAndrews (@mbmcandrews) April 26, 2021

either way, re-organizing the show to make it end that was instead of best picture was not cool

— gen🪴 (@genevievecheng) April 26, 2021

Yeah, this just feels so wrong. How do you save the Best Actor category for last & then snub Chadwick Boseman… posthumously?!

He had a truly phenomenal year. He will never win an Oscar now. #Oscars

— 𝕁 (@JesTheMermaid) April 26, 2021

so from what i can gather the oscars producers pushed best actor to the end of the show assuming chadwick would win and it would be a nice moment, but then anthony hopkins won and he wasn't even there so they just read the card and ended the show?

— Law Boy, Esq. (@The_Law_Boy) April 26, 2021

(and, yes, i know the producers couldn't have predicted who won, and, yes, hopkins was great too, but regardless they pushed best actor to the back because they knew people would wait for chadwick. they used his death for views either way)

— holli (@fllenangeIs) April 26, 2021

I don't even care about Chadwick losing, but the fact that the Academy used him a bait makes me mad. #Oscars

— T'Challa Stan (@KhameekJ03) April 26, 2021

They really used Chadwick as bait all to not even give him the Oscar. I'm so heated..

— jen🎬 (@cinephilejen) April 26, 2021

Now why would they make best actor last just to snub Chadwick and the winner isn't even there I'm spinning

— Free Britney Activist (@flawedcrystals) April 26, 2021

i mean if we’re being honest, awards literally don’t mean anything and art is dead. HOWEVER it’s obvious that the academy capitalized on Chadwick’s death and used it for views. so to then snub him of the oscar win when it’s literally the LEAST you could do to honor him? shameful

— sav 💫 (@jedileiasolo) April 26, 2021

Bron: NBC News, ComicBook