With ‘CODA’ Win, the Oscars Streaming Ceiling Has Finally Been Broken. What’s Next? (Analysis)

variety.com:

Clayton Davis The Oscars best picture win was a March Madness upset of streaming proportions — though the slap heard round the world threatened to overshadow the achievements of “CODA” and other winners.What started out as a great improvement in the presentation was diminished by Will Smith charging the stage and smacking comedian Chris Rock after he cracked a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith in the last hour, just moments before the In Memoriam segment and prior to him becoming the fifth Black man to win best actor.It might go down as one of the craziest moments in 94 years of Oscars history.But back to the night’s biggest winner: streaming.

Apple, under its film distribution banner Apple Original Films, became the first streamer to win the Oscar for best picture with Siân Heder’s family drama “CODA.” It’s been no secret that Netflix has long harbored ambitions to be the first digital video player to take home the Academy Awards’ most prestigious honor, spending lavishly to promote the likes of Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” (2018), Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” (2019) and David Fincher’s “Mank” (2020).

The investment has yielded lots of nominations, but has not paid off with the major recognition that Netflix was seeking. Instead, the Netflix team had to clap as Apple Original Films, one of the scores of new streaming players that have launched in recent years, got Best Picture bragging rights.With “The Power of the Dog,” a dark and deliberately paced examination of toxic masculinity, Netflix had a tough sell.

Many marveled at Jane Campion’s skilled direction — and she won an Oscar on Sunday, the only prize Netflix nabbed — but others found the movie boring or depressing.