The Oscars are one of the most prestigious and exclusive events in the entertainment industry. Often referred to as “Hollywood’s biggest night”, the Academy Awards celebrate excellence in filmmaking. Attending the Oscars ceremony is considered a huge honor and privilege, which leads many people to wonder – can anyone actually get tickets to the Oscars, or are they only available to the rich and famous?
Who Gets Invited to the Oscars?
The first group of people to receive Oscars invitations are the nominees. Actors, directors, producers, and more who are nominated for an Academy Award in a given year are automatically invited to attend the ceremony. Each nominee receives a plus one invitation as well, allowing them to bring a guest.
Outside of the nominees, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issues invitations to its nearly 10,000 voting members. This includes actors, directors, writers, designers, technicians and more who are involved in the filmmaking industry. Membership is limited to those who are directly involved in filmmaking – not agents, managers, lawyers, etc. The Academy is very selective about who is granted membership.
After nominees and Academy members receive their allotted tickets, additional invitations are distributed to sponsors of the ceremony and telecast. This includes media outlets and entertainment partners involved in promoting and broadcasting the event.
Finally, a small number of open tickets are made available to the general public through an online lottery system. These extremely limited tickets offer average movie fans a slight chance of attending.
Total Number of Seats
The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, where the Academy Awards ceremony takes place, holds only 3,300 people total. When considering that nearly 1,000 of those seats go to nominees and their plus ones, and several thousand more go to Academy members, that leaves very few open seats.
Most sources estimate only around 700 tickets are made available to the general public through the lottery system each year.
Can the General Public Get Oscar Tickets?
While tickets are very limited, it is possible for members of the general public to acquire tickets to the Oscars ceremony. This requires going through the official Academy Awards lottery system.
Here is how it works:
- In September when nominations are announced, the lottery opens for a specified window of time, usually about 2 weeks.
- Hopeful attendees can apply online for the chance to purchase up to 2 tickets.
- The application requires a fee, usually around $10 per ticket.
- The names submitted are entered into a random lottery.
- Approximately 700 fans are selected and notified in early February.
- Those selected are given the opportunity to purchase 1 or 2 tickets for face value, usually around $750 per ticket.
As you can see, the odds are very slim. Thousands of people enter the lottery each year, but only around 1% are actually offered tickets. Securing public tickets to the Oscars requires a tremendous amount of good fortune.
When Are Tickets Available?
Here is a timeline of when different groups are able to get their Oscar tickets:
Timeframe | Ticket Type |
---|---|
Late January | Nominees and their plus ones |
Early January | Academy members |
December & January | Show sponsors |
September lottery window | Public lottery winners |
As you can see, the different waves of ticket distribution occur in the 1-2 months leading up to the ceremony. The public lottery occurs far in advance because of the random selection process.
Getting Oscar Tickets Outside the Normal Channels
Because demand for Oscar tickets is so high, a secondary market exists where tickets are resold for huge markups. Prices typically exceed $1,000 per ticket, with some going for as high as $10,000! Even the worst seats command ridiculous prices.
The Academy strongly discourages this secondary ticket market, but it exists nonetheless. Websites like StubHub frequently have Oscar tickets available from resellers.
It’s also possible to get Oscar tickets by making connections within the industry and being invited as someone’s guest. If you have a friend or relative in Hollywood, press them for an invitation!
Some large companies also purchase blocks of Oscar tickets to gift to important clients and vendors as a luxury corporate gift.
Finally, a very small number of standing room only tickets are made available the week of the ceremony for people willing to watch from off-camera vantage points.
Can You Get Oscar Tickets for Free?
There are a few extremely rare ways to potentially get free Oscar tickets:
- As mentioned, if you have a personal connection like a family member or friend who works in the entertainment industry, they may have access to extra tickets or be able to bring you as their plus one.
- On very rare occasions, extra tickets are distributed to lottery winners if any unused sponsor tickets are returned at the last minute.
- Winning a radio call-in contest or local TV station promotion for Oscar tickets. These are incredibly competitive.
- Being a seat filler. The Academy recruits seat fillers to occupy empty seats when celebrities get up during the telecast. This offers a chance to be inside the auditorium but not guaranteed a seat.
As you can see, there are very limited possibilities for getting complimentary tickets. Purchasing them outright through the lottery system or secondary market remains the most reliable route for average fans.
Can You Get Oscar Tickets with a Press Pass?
Getting media credentials to cover the Oscars does not guarantee you a ticket to the ceremony. Here are some key things to know about press access to the Academy Awards:
- Media outlets have to apply for credentials through the Academy.
- Approved journalists get access to conduct interviews on the red carpet.
- A very small number of Credential holders are allowed access to the backstage press room.
- General reporters and photographers do NOT receive tickets to sit in the Dolby Theatre for the ceremony.
- Only major network teams and celebrity media are given permission to view inside the venue.
So while a press pass allows you to cover all of the action on the red carpet, it does not provide any access to the exclusive ceremony where all the awards are handed out. That privilege remains very exclusive to Hollywood insiders and lottery winners.
Common Misconceptions
There are some common misconceptions when it comes to getting general public access to the Oscars ceremony:
- Myth: Buying an expensive outfit or jewelry guarantees entry.
Fact: There is no way to buy or influence your way in. Only legitimate tickets grant you access. - Myth: Getting on the red carpet means you’ll be let inside.
Fact: The red carpet is separate. You need a ticket to the Dolby Theatre. - Myth: Longtime Academy members can secure tickets for anyone.
Fact: Members are restricted to their 2 allotted seats. They cannot invite extra friends or buy more tickets.
The only surefire way in is having one of the precious, scarce invitations or tickets in-hand. There are no loopholes or shortcuts around the Academy’s rules.
Conclusion
To summarize, here are the key points for anyone wondering how to get into the Oscars:
- Tickets are extremely limited, with most going to the nominees and Academy members.
- Remaining tickets are distributed via lottery, sponsor gifts, industry connections, or sold on a secondary market.
- The general public lottery offers average people a slight chance at buying face value tickets.
- It’s possible but extremely rare to get complimentary tickets.
- Media credentials allow red carpet access only, not ceremony entry.
- You absolutely need an actual invitation or ticket to get into the Dolby Theatre on Oscars night.
While not impossible, scoring tickets to Hollywood’s biggest night remains an incredible feat. With persistence, luck and possibly money you can land yourself inside the Dolby Theatre on that coveted Sunday night in February. Short of an official invitation, be prepared to face incredibly long odds trying to buy your way into the Oscars as just an average movie lover.