New York Times Changes Film Review Policy, Can’t Guarantee Coverage
The New York Times is changing its film review policies, with the paper telling distributors this week that it can no longer guarantee its critics will weigh in on every film that screens in the city.
“Because of the increasing volume of new films released each year, the Times is no longer able to guarantee reviews of all New York theatrical releases,” A.O. Scott, the Times’ chief film critic, wrote companies in an email obtained by Variety.
Scott added that the paper would continue to review as many new films as it could, but noted decisions would be made on a “case by case basis.”
The Times will almost certainly continue to critique major films, prominent specialty titles and Oscar contenders, but the paper’s decision is bad news for some smaller arthouse distributors and VOD companies who rely on a review in the paper of record to raise a film’s profile.
The decision will also affect the documentary feature category of the Oscars, which requires a review in either the New York Times or L.A. Times for consideration, as well as a theatrical release. A spokeswoman for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences noted that the New York Times’ decision “wouldn’t necessarily require a rule change,” because films that were reviewed by the L.A. Times would qualify.
Some indie distributors seemed relatively unperturbed by the news.
“I think it will mostly concern the vanity releases and films that are being released solely to fulfill contractual commitments, and frankly, the vast majority of those films are not going to be helped much by a New York Times review,” said Magnolia Pictures president Eamonn Bowles.
In a 2013 year-end wrap up, Scott noted that the number of films the paper is tasked with assessing continues to grow exponentially. The rise of on-demand platforms and streaming services such as Netflix have lowered the barrier to entry for aspiring filmmakers, and many of these pictures are vanity projects or very minor films that rely on a review in the Times to give them a patina of legitimacy.
This attempt to game the system was roundly condemned in a 2014 piece by Scott’s fellow critic Manohla Dargis.
“Dumping crummy movies that should go straight to on-demand into theaters just to get a review before rushing into the on-demand maw is no way to sustain, much less build, a healthy film culture,” Dargis wrote.
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