Apple TV+ has beat out Netflix to become the first streaming service to win best picture at the Academy Awards, with “CODA” triumphing.
“CODA” actor Troy Kotsur also won the best supporting actor trophy, marking the first time for a Deaf male actor, and the second Deaf actor after “CODA” co-star Marlee Matlin won in 1986 for “Children of a Lesser God.” Writer and director Sian Heder won for best adapted screenplay.
The three Oscars are the first for Apple TV+, which launched at the end of 2019.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Apple spent an estimated $10 million on its Oscar campaign for “CODA,” which follows the story of Ruby (Emilia Jones), a Child of Deaf Adults (which the movie’s title is taken from), who plans to join her family’s fishing business but is drawn toward a music career.
Apple paid $25 million for distribution rights to “CODA,” which is currently streaming on Apple TV+ and was also in theaters for a limited run. Other contenders in the category included Netflix’s “The Power of the Dog.” Netflix has had several best picture nominees in previous years, including Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma.”
While Netflix has failed to pick up the top Oscar award so far, it has received 116 nominations in total and won 15 other categories, including best director (Cuarón for “Roma and Jane Campion for “The Power of the Dog,” best supporting actress (Laura Dern in “Marriage Story”), best foreign language film (“Roma”), and best animated short film (“If Anything Happens I Love You”).