Now, amidst the omicron spike and NBC’s choice not to broadcast the Golden Globes due to ethical concerns about the awarding organization, Hollywood's typically busy first week of the year has become very quiet. The AFI Awards were delayed, the Critics' Choice Awards were rescheduled to fill the gap left by the Globes, the Palm Springs Film Festival was canceled, and many award-winning films failed at the box office. The Academy Awards are still set to take place on March 27, with nominations being announced on February 8. However, it is unclear what the event will look like. The annual Governors Awards, which have honored recipients with honorary Oscars for the past 11 years in a non-televised ceremony, have already been postponed. Questions remain about whether there will be a host, a live audience, and most importantly, if anyone will watch the event. The Academy brought on a producer from the film "Girls Trip" in October to manage the show, but has not shared any more information and declined to comment. The situation in 2022 is starting to resemble that of 2021, with Hollywood once again missing out on its usual season of self-congratulation. This is affecting the film industry's main form of advertising, which is crucial for movies in need of promotion. This could potentially influence the types of movies that are produced. Nancy Utley, a former co-chair of Fox Searchlight, emphasized the importance of award shows for the box office and highlighted their significance in promoting smaller prestige films like "12 Years a Slave" and "The Shape of Water." "The acknowledgment there led to the decision to watch a smaller film. How can this be done in the current situation? It is difficult." Numerous high-quality films are released annually, with the hope that the majority of their earnings will come during the crucial period between the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. The decline of the Golden Globes, which suffered from financial impropriety, questionable ethics, and a lack of diversity within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association responsible for the awards, has already damaged this cycle. If the awards season engine of the Hollywood hype machine falters, it could have a devastating impact on the already struggling box office. The large audience shift towards streaming services may be a permanent change, with only big movies like "Spider-Man: No Way Home" attracting significant numbers of theatergoers. Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, believes that the movie industry is in danger of collapsing as people are no longer in the habit of watching movies on the big screen. He also emphasizes the importance of award season in promoting the film industry, noting that the Academy Awards were established in 1929 to showcase Hollywood's accomplishments to a global audience. The television broadcast reached its peak with 55 million viewers, but that number has been declining for years. Last year, viewership hit an all-time low of 10.4 million for a show that had no host, no musical performances, and a best picture winner in "Nomadland" that was not widely seen. Hollywood had been planning a major effort to increase viewership, deploying top stars and directors to emphasize the importance of theaters in the midst of numerous streaming options. However, these efforts have not been successful. A majority of the public is still hesitant to go back to theaters regularly. Due to the pandemic, the release of "No Time to Die," Daniel Craig's final James Bond film, was delayed for over a year. When it finally came out, it only made $160.7 million in the United States and Canada, which was significantly less than previous Bond films like "Spectre" and "Skyfall." Despite receiving positive reviews, critically acclaimed films such as "Last Night in Soho," "Nightmare Alley," and "Belfast" had low box office sales. Even though Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" has a high rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it has only earned $30 million domestically. The original film made $44 million in 1961, which would be equivalent to $409 million today. A recent study shows that 49% of moviegoers before the pandemic are no longer purchasing tickets, with 8% stating they will never return. This decline in ticket sales is particularly harmful for midbudget movies that rely on positive reviews and publicity to attract audiences. Some believe that midbudget films, which cost between $20 million and $60 million and are not based on popular intellectual property, may face permanent changes in the film industry. If changes in viewing habits are permanent and award nominations and wins no longer attract audiences, it will be much harder for movies to make a profit. If people only go to the movies to see popular films like "Spider-Man," it will be challenging to persuade them to also watch a film like "Belfast," a black-and-white reflection on childhood by Kenneth Branagh, in a theater rather than at home. According to Galloway, this not only impacts individual films and filmmakers, but also the entire art form itself. The art of cinema is delicate. Only "Dune" among the potential best-picture contenders released in theaters has surpassed $100 million at the box office. "King Richard" made $14.7 million and "Licorice Pizza" earned $7 million. According to film journalist Mark Harris, no non-genre adult dramas have made over $50 million. The landscape of the film industry has changed since 2019, when movies like "1917," "Ford v. Ferrari," and "Parasite" were successful. Despite this, studios are adapting, with MGM scaling back the release of "Licorice Pizza" after seeing other prestigious films struggle in wide releases. It is also being delayed in its release in Britain of the movie "Cyrano," featuring Peter Dinklage, until February in order to coincide with the US release, in hopes that older female moviegoers will be more likely to return to the cinema by then. Sony Pictures Classics is using the same strategy as in 2021, with more virtual screenings and Q&As to attract academy voters, as well as quicker home distribution. Their documentary "Julia," which is about Julia Child, was made available on premium video-on-demand during the holidays. While many studios held events with vaccination requirements in early December to combat the latest pandemic wave, in January, a lot of awards campaigning events, like screenings and parties, are being canceled or moved online. Billboards with the message "For your consideration" can still be seen in Los Angeles, but in-person meet-and-greets are currently on hold. Netflix, a studio that typically releases films in limited theaters and does not report box office results, is expected to have a strong presence in this year's award season with movies like "Tick, Tick ... Boom," "The Power of the Dog," and "The Lost Daughter" competing for awards. Like other studios, Netflix has shifted all in-person events for January to virtual. Michael Barker, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, mentioned in a recent telephone interview that last year was a challenging adjustment and that this year will also require adapting to the current circumstances. Despite the challenges, he emphasized the importance of compensating and looking towards the future to see how the industry will change.