“Hamilton” won 11 Tonys, a Pulitzer, and a Grammy, and the version shot on Disney Plus was the topic of conversation on social media over the weekend of July 4, but will not be heading to the Oscars.
Disney had planned a theatrical release in October 2021 before releasing it early on its streaming service, but that’s not enough to qualify it for Oscar consideration. Although the eligibility rules were amended in April to allow movies with planned theatrical releases to compete, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, “recorded stage productions are not eligible for consideration.”
While “Give ’em Hell, Harry”, a recording of the one-man play of the same name, garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for James Whitmore in 1976, the rules changed in 1997 when the language was added to the documentary category that disqualified recorded stage performances.
Disney still has a lot to celebrate the launch of Disney Plus.
The film premiered on the Disney Plus streaming service on Friday, July 3. From Friday to Sunday, their app was downloaded 752,451 times worldwide, including 458,796 times in the US, according to Apptopia.
In early May, Disney Plus had 54.5 million subscribers worldwide just six months after its launch. In the United States, streaming service costs $ 6.99 per month or $ 69.99 per year.
The movie “Hamilton” stars Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos and Phillipa Soo. It was directed by Thomas Kail.
Various performances of the theater musical “Hamilton” were used for the film.
