Oscars 2021: What Time Do the Academy Awards Start

After a year that saw the entertainment landscape greatly changed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Hollywood’s biggest night is finally here. The 93rd Academy Awards takes place tonight, Sunday, April 25th, and will air on ABC with the awards ceremony beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Overall Oscar festivities will kick-off ahead of the ceremony, beginning at 5 p.m. ET with a scaled-down red carpet, followed by the official Academy Awards pre-show, “Oscars: Into the Spotlight” at 6:30 p.m. ET.

When audiences tune in for this year’s Academy Awards, it will be a little different than ceremonies of years past. Unlike the Emmys which went all virtual last year, this year’s Academy Awards will have an in-person telecast but will be broadcast from multiple locations – Los Angeles Union Station and the Dolby Theater. Even with the event being in-person, attendance will still be limited with not many people allowed at the event unless they are a nominee, guest of a nominee, or a presenter.

This year’s Academy Awards is also taking place a bit later. Originally set for February 28th, the ceremony was postponed until April with the delay allowing an extended window of competition for the awards as this year’s eligibility window ran from January 1, 2020, through February 28, 2021, rather than the typical January to December schedule.

And when it comes to those films, there is some solid competition. Netflix’s Mank leads the way in nominations with 10, followed by The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Minari, Nomadland, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of the Chicago 7 all with six nominations each. Those seven films along with Promising Young Woman are all up for Best Picture. You can check out the full list of nominations here.

The ceremony will also see a roster of A-list presenters, including Brad Pitt, Laura Dern, Joaquin Phoenix, Renee Zellweger, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Moreno, Reese Witherspoon, Zendaya, and 2020 best director winner Bong Joon-ho. Additionally, all five songs nominated for Best Music (Original Song) will be presented in prerecorded performances as part of the pre-show event.

The Oscars pre-show starts at 6:30 p.m. ET on ABC, followed by the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony at 8 p.m. ET. tonight, Sunday, April 25th. Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for all the latest Oscar updates and coverage.

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