86th Academy Awards — award ceremony presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for achievement in filmmaking in 2013
The 86th Academy Awards drew nearly 44 million U.S. viewers, the largest audience since 2000, with 12 Years a Slave winning Best Picture.
Key Facts
- Date
- March 2, 2014
- Venue
- Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles
- Host
- Ellen DeGeneres (2nd time hosting)
- Categories awarded
- 24
- U.S. television viewers
- Nearly 44 million
- Best Picture winner
- 12 Years a Slave
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences annually recognizes outstanding achievement in filmmaking. The 86th ceremony was deliberately scheduled later than its usual late-February date to avoid overlap with the 2014 Winter Olympics, which had claimed a large share of the television audience in prior years.
On March 2, 2014, the 86th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. Awards were presented in 24 categories. 12 Years a Slave took Best Picture among its three wins, while Gravity led all films with seven awards. The telecast was produced by Neil Meron and Craig Zadan and broadcast on ABC.
The ceremony attracted nearly 44 million U.S. viewers, making it the most-watched Academy Awards broadcast since the 72nd ceremony in 2000. Ellen DeGeneres's hosting, including a now-famous celebrity selfie that briefly broke Twitter, generated widespread cultural attention and boosted ABC's ratings significantly.