Apple Becomes First Streaming Platform to Win Best Picture Oscar with ‘CODA’

Tim Apple at Oscars
Emma McIntyre/Getty

The Apple TV+ film CODA received three awards at the Oscars, including the Best Picture award, marking the first time a streaming service received the coveted top prize at the annual award show.

9to5Mac reports that the Apple TV+ movie CODA has received three awards at the Oscars, including Best Picture, a first for streaming services. In just the second year that Apple TV+ was even eligible to win a prize, the streaming service has taken home the top award.

CODA also won the award for the Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor going to star Troy Kotsur. CODA first premiered in 2021 at the Sundance Film Festival and was received as a festival favorite with Apple quickly securing the streaming rights for $25 million.

Apple initially attempted to buy the worldwide rights but the distribution rights to the film were already been sold to regional distributors in many countries. As a result, CODA is not available on Apple TV+ in all markets.

Tim Cook at Golden Globes

Tim Cook at Golden Globes (Frazer Harrison /Getty)

When the film premiered on Apple TV+ in August 2021, the film received mixed reviews but the film continued to pick up nominations at other award shows and became an Oscar frontrunner in the last few weeks leading up to the awards.

It was expected that CODA could face competition from Netflix’s dramatic film The Power of the Dog starring Benedict Cumberbatch, but CODA beat the Netflix film for the Best Picture prize. Apple appears to be extremely happy to have received the Best Picture award before any other streaming service.

As John Nolte pointed out for Breitbart News, the Oscars race came down to two movies “No one has seen.”

Nolte wrote:

That’s correct, the Best Picture Oscar race is now neck-and-neck between something called CODA and another thing called The Power of the Dog.

Thus far, CODA has grossed an astonishing $1.52 million worldwide, while The Power of the Dog has grossed a pretty impressive $22.4 million.

Oh, oops.

That wasn’t the Power of the Dog that grossed $22.4 million’ That was a 1990 Lou Diamond Phillips supernatural thriller called The First Power that grossed $22.4 million 32 years ago and was considered a box office disappointment.

The Power of the Dog has grossed less than a quarter of CODA, a mere $252,000 worldwide. The Power of the Dog is a Netflix release, but still…. I don’t know what CODA is—which gives me a whole lot in common with the rest of the world.

The company’s original TV series have also received award recognition, with popular comedy Ted Lasso starring Jason Sudekis performing very well, but this is the first time a film has on the service has received such a huge award.

Read more at 9to5Mac here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.