Netflix, the internet streaming service, is facing a backlash after a record spend of up to US$30 million ($44m) on an Oscars award campaign for its film Roma.
The staggering amount, twice what the film cost to make, could mean a movie intended to be mainly watched on TV captures the Best Picture gong for the first time.
Such a prospect rattled some leading Hollywood film-makers, who predicted it could signal a bleak future for cinemas.
Los Angeles, home to many of the more than 7000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who vote for the Oscars — held this afternoon from 2pm (NZ time) — has been plastered with billboards and posters urging them to back Roma.
There have been endless promotional parties, industry figures have been sent chocolates and a US$175 book on the film, with a note from its star, Yalitza Aparicio (nominated for best actress), and a fortune has been spent on TV adverts.
