The Town with Matthew Belloni Oscars Winners and Losers, and Universal’s Pivot to Keep Movies in Theaters Longer
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Mar 16, 2026 
Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg business journalist covering Hollywood and studio strategy. He recalls attending the Oscars in person and the ceremony vibe. They unpack winners and losers tied to box office hits. They dig into Universal’s move to guarantee longer theatrical exclusives and what that signals for studios, theaters, and streaming windows.
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Universal Moves To Longer Theatrical Windows
- Universal is reversing its short-window experiment and now guarantees five weekends of theatrical exclusivity, moving to seven weekends by 2027.
- Matt Belloni frames this as a retraining move to stop conditioning audiences to expect rapid at-home availability after 2–3 weeks.
Lucas Shaw's First Time At The Oscars
- Lucas Shaw described his first in-person Oscars experience as a privilege and enjoyable despite some cynicism.
- He specifically noted trying the recommended chicken pot pie and enjoying being at the ceremony after growing up watching it.
Studios Gain Prestige By Backing Risky Originals
- Warner Bros executives Mike and Pam were celebrated for backing original and risky films, which translated into awards and industry goodwill.
- Matt and Lucas heard multiple onstage thank-yous to the Warner chiefs highlighting studio support.