Shock! Oscar-winning documentary has 'no way out' in American theaters, what is the truth behind it?

The heat of the 2025 Oscars has not yet subsided, and many topics continue to ferment in the public opinion field. Among them, the dismal situation of the documentary that won the Best Documentary Feature in American theaters is like a boulder falling into the water, stirring up thousands of waves, and arousing widespread public attention and thinking. The documentary that won the Oscar should have been so glorious, but why is it "struggling" in American theaters? What is the truth behind it?

Under the aura of the Oscars, the loneliness of documentaries in American theaters

The Oscars are the highest symbol of honor in the film industry. Every year, the films that win this honor can often set off a wave of movie watching around the world. However, documentaries present a completely different picture under this dazzling aura. In recent years, commercial blockbusters, superhero movies and romantic comedies have dominated major theaters in the United States, and documentaries are hard to find. Even if you win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, it is difficult to get rid of your marginal position in the theater schedule.

Take "The Only Home" which won this honor in 2025 as an example. The film won praise from judges and audiences for its profound theme, superb shooting techniques and real and moving stories. However, it encountered many obstacles when entering the US cinema. According to incomplete statistics, among the top 50 cinemas in the United States, less than 10% of the theaters have arranged a small number of screenings for it, and some regions have not even arranged screenings at all. This is not an isolated case. In the past five years, documentaries nominated or awarded by Oscars have been screened in theaters with an average of nearly 70% fewer theaters than commercial blockbusters, and the average box office revenue is only about 5% of commercial blockbusters.

The double attack of audience preference and commercial interests

The documentary is cold in the US cinema, and the audience's preference for watching movies is an important reason. The current social life pace is accelerating, people's entertainment time is fragmented, and they prefer movies that can bring instant pleasure and visual impact. According to data from market research institutions, more than 60% of American audiences said that when choosing to watch a movie, they pay more attention to the entertainment and excitement of the film. Commercial blockbusters attract a large number of audiences with grand scenes, wonderful special effects and tense plots, while documentaries have a slow narrative rhythm and serious and profound content, requiring the audience to invest more time and energy to understand and feel, which makes many audiences discouraged.

Commercial interests are also a key factor in theaters reducing the scheduling of documentaries. As a commercial institution, the primary goal of cinemas is to maximize profits. Commercial blockbusters have high box office potential and can bring rich profits to theaters. According to industry data, a popular commercial blockbuster can bring an average of more than 500,000 US dollars in box office revenue to a single theater during its release in theaters, while the average box office revenue of documentaries is only about 50,000 US dollars. In order to ensure economic benefits, theaters will naturally allocate more scheduling resources to commercial blockbusters and compress the screening space of documentaries.

Sensitive subject matter: a "stumbling block" for documentary distribution

In addition to audience preferences and commercial interests, sensitive subject matter is also an important reason why documentaries are blocked from being distributed in American theaters. Some documentaries involve sensitive topics such as politics, religion, and race, which are prone to controversy and boycotts, bringing huge pressure to distribution.

"The Only Home" focuses on the lives of people in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict area and objectively shows the pain of war. However, the Israeli-Palestinian issue is the focus of the international community. In the United States, it is intertwined with political, religious, cultural and other factors, forming a sensitive social topic. Some interest groups and political forces intervene and boycott film and television works involving the Israeli-Palestinian issue for their own positions and interests. According to relevant reports, when preparing for the release of "The Only Home", many theaters refused to schedule the film due to concerns about causing controversy and protests. Some political groups also requested to restrict the dissemination of the film through joint letters and other means.

Internet era: new opportunities and challenges for documentary dissemination

Although documentaries face difficulties in American theaters, the Internet era brings new opportunities for their dissemination. The popularization of Internet technology and social media provides more channels for documentaries. The online platform has a broad display space, and viewers can watch it anytime and anywhere. Some streaming platforms attach importance to documentary production and distribution, and invest financial resources to support creation. According to statistics, the number of users who watch documentaries through online platforms has increased by nearly 50% in the past three years.

However, the dissemination of documentaries in the Internet era also faces challenges. In the massive amount of online information, documentaries are easily submerged and it is difficult to obtain enough attention and traffic. The audience groups on online platforms are scattered, and there is a lack of the centralized viewing atmosphere and interactive experience of offline theaters, which affects the communication effect. Although the online documentary playback volume is high, the effective conversion rate (i.e., from viewing to in-depth attention and dissemination) is only about 10%.

Breakthrough: Multiple parties work together to promote the development of documentaries

To change the plight of documentaries in the United States, multiple parties need to work together. For documentary producers, while ensuring the quality of content, they should focus on storytelling and fun to increase the appeal of the film. They can work with professional marketing teams to develop targeted marketing strategies and use social media for publicity and promotion. For example, make wonderful short video clips and post them on platforms such as Douyin and Weibo to attract user attention.

For theaters, the proportion of documentary screenings can be appropriately increased, special documentary sessions or film festivals can be opened, and the audience's documentary viewing habits can be cultivated. They can also cooperate with producers to launch preferential activities to attract more audiences to go to the theater to watch documentaries.

The government and relevant organizations should increase their support for documentaries, set up special funds to subsidize the creation and distribution of excellent documentaries. Organize documentary selection activities to increase the social attention and influence of documentaries.

Oscar-winning documentaries have no way to go in American theaters, which is the result of multiple factors such as audience preferences, commercial interests, and sensitive topics. However, the Internet era also brings new opportunities. As long as all parties work together to explore innovative development models, documentaries are expected to regain vitality in the American film market and bring more real and profound audio-visual experiences to the audience.