John Malkovich Says Oscar Campaigns Now Drive Theater Attendance

John Malkovich has criticized the growing importance of awards campaigns in the film industry, arguing that months of Oscar-related promotion have become a primary way to attract audiences to movie theaters. Speaking at the BFI London Film Festival, the 72-year-old actor reflected on how the business has changed throughout his career and compared today's promotional demands with the box office success of earlier films.

Malkovich, who has received two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, discussed the subject during a festival appearance connected to the screening of Wild Horse Nine, a tragicomedy featuring him and Sam Rockwell.

Reflecting on the difference between the industry during his earlier career and its current state, Malkovich said the cultural standing of cinema had once been greater than he believed it deserved, given the limited number of exceptional films being produced.

"[I feel] probably different [about awards consideration] than I did [when In the Line of Fire came out] because the movie business existed [and] it maintained, undeservedly in my opinion, a very high position in the culture. And when I say undeserved, [I] mean there weren’t that many Chinatowns or Godfathers or Godfather IIs." Malkovich said at the festival.

He argued that the relationship between awards recognition and theater attendance has changed significantly. In his view, films once had a better chance of attracting paying audiences without relying on an extended awards push.

"Now, [winning an Oscar] seems to be the only way you get people to actually go to a theater." Malkovich said.

The actor also recalled attending his first Academy Awards ceremony in 1985 after receiving a nomination for Places in the Heart. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he asked his manager, Phyllis, while traveling to the event whether he could enter through a side door.

"Honey, it’s the Oscars. There is no side door!" Phyllis replied, according to Malkovich's recollection.

The experience illustrated his discomfort with the intense attention surrounding awards season, although he acknowledged that such promotion has become part of the profession.

"So that’s my native personality in the face of that onslaught, but also, I’m a grown-up. It’s a part of the business now." Malkovich said.

Despite his reservations, Malkovich said he prefers adapting to changes rather than dwelling on how the industry operated in the past. He acknowledged that the business continues to evolve and that remaining active requires accepting those changes.

"I’m 72 years old. Things change. I don’t really like thinking, ‘Things aren’t what they used to be.’

They just change, and you either change with them or die. And I prefer to change with them." Malkovich said.

In a previous interview with The Talks, Malkovich also reflected on his early uncertainty about pursuing acting as a lifelong career. He described his initial professional years as a period when he was still evaluating his commitment to the craft.

"I am not sure I had a great work ethic when I began. I had no familiarity with the business or anything about it or it demanded. I am not sure I was certain that acting is what I wanted to do with my life.

I did it, I was part of a group of people who started a theatre called the Steppenwolf immediately after university, when we were 20 or 22 years old. It was not spectacularly easy and probably made me question as much! I liked some of the things we did and the results we achieved, but I still was not necessarily convinced that that’s what I wanted to do with my life."

Malkovich said.

Wild Horse Nine, starring Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, is scheduled for release on November 6, 2026.