2022 Oscars Facts: 94th Academy Awards By The Numbers

April 6, 2022

With 2021’s box office revenue nearly 60% below pre-pandemic levels, WalletHub released its 2022 Oscars Facts report, which includes an infographic filled with fun facts about the event as well as a Q&A with a panel of entertainment experts.

Here are some highlights from the report:

$42.9M: Total cost of the Oscars ceremony.
$10M: Cost of the look for an A-list actress attending the Oscars.
28%: Share of this year’s Oscar nominees who are women (lowest percentage in three years).
$24.7K: Cost of the 50,000 square foot Oscars red carpet.
$400: Current value of the 24-karat gold-plated Oscar statuette.
1st time: The Oscars telecast will have a host in four years (Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall, and Amy Schumer will split the hosting duties).

Expert Commentary

Do you believe the current system of nominating films is a fair and transparent one? How can this process be improved?

“I do think the current system of nominating films (which has not really changed in the years I have been a member) is fair. It is secret, it allows each member to nominate in his or her branch and then for the entire membership to nominate Best Picture, so the immediate nominating judgment falls to those in their particular craft branch who are experts in their field to decide on the 5 nominees in that filed.”
Barry Sandler – Associate Professor, University of Central Florida

“Well, my immediate response is: No! There is very little that could be called ‘fair’ about the current system, and if you asked the average person how films get nominated, I am sure they would not have a clue…So, what can be done?

Unfortunately, I think very little. Opening votes up to the public has resulted in bad actors working to exploit weaknesses in the technology that collects and counts votes in order to affect the outcomes…

One undoubtedly unpopular idea that would be deleterious to fairness while increasing transparency would be to announce a smaller jury for each of the prizes. One could safely assume that Denzel Washington, Laura Dern, and Holly Hunter might not represent the broadest spectrum of opinions, but I would certainly be interested to know who they thought the Best Actor was this year.”
Macy Todd, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, SUNY-Buffalo State

What impact would the lack of diversity in the main categories have on the awards? Will they be considered less relevant to the general public as time goes by?

“As an Academy member for many years, I am heartened by the expansion of our membership in the last few years to include more women, minorities, people of color, and international filmmakers. While this expansion is apparent to some degree in the slight increase in foreign films among the nominees in various categories, I definitely think there is room for a more diverse slate of nominees.

The main problem as I see it is not so much the Academy’s failure to nominate those films, but the lack of films available to nominate, which means getting those films by minority filmmakers financed and produced…

To answer your first question – yes, I do think the Oscars will become less relevant if a more diverse slate of films is not nominated, but I do think the Academy will eagerly embrace those films – again, the problem is not the Academy’s unwillingness, but the lack of films available to be considered.”
Barry Sandler – Associate Professor, University of Central Florida

“There’s always room for improvement – especially for Latino and Asian actors, a dearth that is not emphasized enough. But from a historical perspective, the period from 2010 onward has seen a remarkable and unprecedented increase in diversity, Oscar-wise – especially in the director and picture categories, and starting well before the Oscars-Too-White controversy…

A larger point about diversity is that the more films, in general, featuring women directors and directors and actors of color, the greater likelihood of their being nominated for Oscars. The macro and micro go hand in hand.”
Vincent Brook – Lecturer, University of California, Los Angeles

In light of the past years’ controversies, the Academy has worked to improve the diversity of the awards (from the implementation of new representation and inclusion standards to the diversification of its membership). What else can be done to address this critical issue?

“Hollywood has to make more films from diverse filmmakers and about diverse characters and issues. It simply does not matter how many quotas they impose on membership representation or inclusion standards. If the movies are not made then they cannot win awards. Period.”
Ron Falzone – Associate Professor, Columbia College Chicago

“What is being confronted is not just an Academy Awards problem, but a much larger movie problem. A broader spectrum of experiences is needed not only in the content of movies but in the positions of power within the industry. This means more women and people of color directing films, producing films, and serving as studio executives…

Improving the quantity and quality of Oscar recognition of diverse films requires a structural change in the positions of power within the film industry – and that change means facing hard truths about access to filmmaking, and spending the time and money required to try to make that access more equitable.”
Macy Todd, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, SUNY-Buffalo State