Best picture nominees at the next Oscars aren't required to play in theaters, but don't expect that to become the norm

• On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that for the 93rd Academy Awards in February movies that didn't have theatrical releases will be eligible for the best picture category.
• This is the first time in Oscars history that this is being allowed.
• Hollywood insiders and Oscar voters tell Insider to not expect this rule to continue past this upcoming year.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused major changes in all aspects of life, business, culture, and even award shows.

On Tuesday the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that movies that didn't play in theaters will be eligible for the best picture category at the 93rd Academy Awards (air on February 28). This is due to the coronavirus upending the movie business as theaters have been closed and it's uncertain when they will open at full capacity.

That means streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon will not have to dish out millions of dollars to forge theatrical runs to qualify its movies. It also means studios and indie distributors also don't have to either, so everything from "Trolls World Tour" to titles on Disney Plus, HBO Max, and Peacock are in play.

But in the ever-changing landscape of entertainment the question now is, will this rule stay in place for future Oscars to come?

For many Hollywood insiders and Oscar voters that Insider spoke to this week, the answer is no.

The major players in Hollywood will never allow best picture nominees beyond this year to not have played in theaters

"I cannot see the prominent voices in the industry — Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino — saying they make films by virtue of being on Peacock," said one Oscar voter. "As long as there are loud voices against it the Academy will back off on streaming."

Though streaming giants like Amazon and Netflix have been able to win Oscars, there's still a general feeling that, beyond the current unprecedented times due to the coronavirus, theatrical is still king when it comes to the Oscars.

But even when streaming plays by those rules there's some prejudice.

A perfect example is the 92nd Oscar this past February. Netflix had 24 nominations but only received two wins (Laura Dern for "Marriage Story" and the documentary "American Factory") and lost in the best picture category (it had "The Irishman" and "Marriage Story" in the running) for the second-straight year.

Days after the Oscars, a voter revealed to Business Insider, "I think there's certainly a faction inside the Academy that feel the Oscars are set up for theatrical releases."

Because of that, the idea of streaming titles that don't also run in theaters getting recognized for Oscars beyond this year looks unlikely.

It's not clear how the Academy will enforce that with eligible nominees originally intended to be theatrical releases

There are some who feel the move to allow streaming titles to be considered for best picture is the latest rash decision by the Academy's board of governors. The same group that before the 92nd Oscars was thinking of doing a popular film category (it was eventually dropped due to backlash by filmmakers).

The biggest head-scratcher is how streaming titles would be eligible. The main stipulation, according to the Academy, is that the movie must have been intended for a theatrical release.

"How are you going to be able to police that?" one Hollywood insider asked. (Insider contacted the Academy for clarification but didn't get a response.)

One Academy voter told Insider that sooner or later the Oscars will have to come to terms with the era and "recognize films not because they are theatrical but because they are brilliant." But that time seems not to be right now, as streaming is still seen as being just lucky to be invited to the dance.

Insider reached out to the Academy for comment and did not hear back at the time of this story.