Lights, camera, trivia! Every year the Academy Awards hand Oscar statues to its winners, and new records and milestones are made. Hollywood’s most prestigious night of celebration is mostly remembered for its bevy of iconic acceptance speeches and dazzling red-carpet moments. Still, some artists and films have also etched their names in Oscar history with quirky and unexpected accomplishments. Join us on this journey of cinematic surprises as we explore the intriguing world of Academy Awards trivia!
If you want to witness live which films and performers make history at the next Oscars, stream the 96th Academy Awards live on Lionsgate Play with PLDT Home!
Turning Fantasy into Reality
From the Oscars Official Website
Most of the Oscar accomplishments of Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth franchise are already well known. From being the franchise with the most Oscar wins with 17, to accomplishing the biggest sweep in Oscars history when Lord of the Rings: Return of the King won in all 11 of its nominations, Middle Earth isn’t just home to the “One Ring,” but multiple Oscar records too.
However, among its many Oscar nods, it’s probably the least known that Lord of the Rings: Return of the King is the first fantasy film to win an Oscar for Best Picture. Most genres had already won an Oscar by the 1960s and 70s, but it took the early 2000s for Fantasy to reach the zenith of film excellence. See how this film broke ground and stream Lord of the Rings: Return of the King on HBO Go with PLDT Home.
Mahershala Ali’s Marathon Performance
From the Oscars Official Website
Performances for Best Supporting Actor are usually a sprint. Supporting Actors don’t often get as much screen time as their leads, so they have to make the most of their performances that don’t end up on the cutting room floor. The shortest recorded screen time for a winning performance for Best Supporting Actor was only 10 minutes. This makes Mahershala Ali’s performance in Green Book all the more impressive.
With Green Book’s over two hours of run time, Ali was on screen for half of it, earning him the little-known feat of longest on-screen performance for Best Supporting Actor winner—Witness Ali’s record-breaking performance and stream Green Book on Lionsgate Play with PLDT Home.
The Game Changer
From the Oscars Official Website
The 81st Academy Awards marked the last year the Oscars only chose five Best Picture nominees. The change, surprisingly, was because of Batman. Fans of the Oscar-winning film for Best Sound Editing felt the film was snubbed for Best Picture, causing public outcry. The Academy immediately rectified its mistake the following year and expanded the category to have double the number of nominees. This expansion in the nominees is now known as “The Dark Knight Rule”. Watch why The Dark Knight rules and stream The Dark Knight on HBO Go with PLDT Home.
Oscar-ception
From the Oscars Official Website
The Oscars love biographical films. Many Oscar-winning films are based on the true stories of iconic people in history. So it’s surprising that Cate Blanchett’s little-known achievement hasn’t been done more than once. In her portrayal of Katherine Hepburn in The Aviator (the winningest actress in Oscar’s history), Cate Blanchett achieved the rare accomplishment of winning an Academy Award for portraying an Academy Award winner. Marvel at Blanchett’s Oscar-winning performance and stream The Aviator on Lionsgate Play with PLDT Home.
HBO Go and Lionsgate Play are the homes of Oscar winners!
What little-known records will be broken this year? Stream the 96th Academy Awards live with Lionsgate Play in March to find out! Watch these Oscar winning films beforehand and enjoy UNLI-ENTERTAINMENT by subscribing to HBO Go for P199/month, and Lionsgate Play for only P79/month, added to your PLDT Home bill.