82nd Academy Awards — award ceremony presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for achievement in filmmaking in 2009
The 82nd Academy Awards expanded Best Picture to ten nominees for the first time since 1944, drawing nearly 42 million viewers, the largest Oscar audience since 2005.
Key Facts
- Ceremony date
- March 7, 2010
- Venue
- Kodak Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles
- Awards categories
- 24
- Top winner
- The Hurt Locker (6 awards, incl. Best Picture)
- U.S. viewership
- Nearly 42 million viewers
- Best Picture nominees
- 10 (first time since 16th ceremony in 1944)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Declining ratings and criticism that the Best Picture category overlooked popular films prompted AMPAS president Sid Ganis to announce in June 2009 that the 2010 ceremony would expand Best Picture nominations from five to ten, reviving a practice abandoned after 1944. The ceremony date was also shifted from late February to avoid overlap with the 2010 Winter Olympics.
On March 7, 2010, the 82nd Academy Awards were held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. The Academy presented Oscars in 24 categories before a television audience on ABC. The Hurt Locker led all films with six wins including Best Picture, while Avatar took three awards and several other films claimed individual prizes.
The telecast attracted nearly 42 million U.S. viewers, the largest Oscar audience since 2005, suggesting the expanded Best Picture field successfully renewed public interest. The ten-nominee format became a lasting structural change to the awards, and The Hurt Locker's victory made Kathryn Bigelow the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director.