Academy Awards 2021 postponed by two months due to COVID-19

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has pushed back the 2021 Oscars ceremony from February 28 to April 25, citing the coronavirus pandemic as the core reason.

The postponement is only the fourth one in the ceremony's history since the Academy Awards were introduced in 1929, and could prompt the Golden Globes and other award shows to follow suit.

The eligibility window for best picture consideration was recently extended to February 28 instead of its usual December 31 date to make up for theatre closures between March and June.

The academy did not say whether ABC's April 25 show would involve the typical red carpet and live audience.

“Our hope, in extending the eligibility period and our awards date, is to provide the flexibility filmmakers need to finish and release their films without being penalised for something beyond anyone’s control,” David Rubin, the academy’s president, and Dawn Hudson, the organisation’s chief executive, said in a statement.

“For over a century, movies have played an important role in comforting, inspiring and entertaining us during the darkest of times. They certainly have this year.”

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health was consulted with in order to select a new Oscars date.

“We find ourselves in uncharted territory this year and will continue to work with our partners at the academy to ensure next year’s show is a safe and celebratory event,” Karey Burke, president of ABC Entertainment, said in a statement.

The Oscars telecast generates 83 percent of the academy’s roughly $150 million in annual revenue.

The academy unveiled a new plan last week to promote nominee diversity - starting in 2022 - also pushed back the opening of its delayed LA museum.

The nearly $400 million project was originally scheduled to arrive in 2017, but will now open on April 30.

Currently, the main Emmys telecast remains scheduled for Sept. 20 on ABC, with discussions currently underway “regarding the format.”

Viewership of the Oscars has declined sharply in recent years, but the show still attracts an audience of more than 23 million people.

The Academy Awards were last postponed in 1981, after the attempted assassination of US President Ronald Reagan.