Razzie Awards On Hold as Producers Decide Whether to Postpone or Cancel Due to Coronavirus

Awards season was officially set to wrap up with the 40th Golden Raspberry Awards tonight, celebrating the worst in the cinema of the past year. As of Saturday morning, however, the Razzies have been indefinitely postponed. In a statement that the organization behind the event has been circulating, the show’s postponement is a direct result of Los Angeles shuttering any gatherings that have more than 50 people in attendance in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus crisis. It’s unclear if the show will be rescheduled or if it will simply be canceled.

“Because the Mayor of Los Angeles shut down all city-owned venues where more than 50 people could gather, including our site, The Barnsdall Theatre,” Razzies co-founder John Wilson says in a statement. “Without a hall, we could not proceed with the show. But we are hoping to have something to disseminate by tonight – Perhaps even by what had been our original “curtain time” of 8 p.m. tonight (Saturday, March 14). Obviously, if there is no live show, there is nothing to be streamed, either.”

Every year since 1981, the Golden Raspberry Awards have been as a parody to the Oscars and other awards season events. Instead of celebrating achievements in filmmaking, the Razzies celebrate those movies and television shows that were widely panned over the course of the previous year.

This year’s major nominees include Cats, A Madea Family Funeral, and Rambo: Last Blood, each walking with a whopping eight nominations, including Worst Picture. Joining the three for Worst Picture include The Fanatic and The Haunting of Sharon Tate.

This year’s awards were going to be the first ones streamed by Comedy Dynamics and as Wilson says, there will be no stream as the event itself won’t be held.

Outside of “worst” categories, the Razzies also includes the Razzie Redeemer Award, gifted annually to an actor or actress who’s had a good year despite off years prior. The nominees in that category this year include Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name), Keanu Reeves (John Wick 3, Toy Story 4), Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems), Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers), and Will Smith (Aladdin).