Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
| Company type | Annual awards ceremony |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment industry |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Blockbuster Entertainment, Inc. |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Fate | Discontinued due to concerns following the September 11 attacks |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Ken Ehrlich (producer), Brian Woods (concept originator) |
| Products | Film, music, and video game awards |
The Blockbuster Entertainment Awards was an annual film awards ceremony established by Blockbuster Entertainment, Inc., which took place from 1995 until 2001. The ceremony was discontinued in 2002 due to concerns following the September 11 attacks. Each year’s event was produced by Ken Ehrlich.[1][2]
Origins and inaugural ceremony
The inaugural Blockbuster Entertainment Awards took place on June 3, 1995, at the Pantages Theatre[3], with the televised broadcast occurring on June 6.[4] The concept originated from Blockbuster marketing executive Brian Woods,[5] who dedicated approximately two years to developing the event.[6] The awards were envisioned as a promotional tool both for the company itself and for the artists whose films and music were sold through Blockbuster outlets.
In late 1994, a broadcasting agreement was secured with CBS, and producer Ken Ehrlich was appointed to oversee the show. Winners were selected based on votes submitted by customers at Blockbuster stores nationwide. The voting ballot featured the top three highest-grossing films, videos, and albums of the year across 33 categories.[5][6] More than 1.5 million votes were tallied, while approximately ten million viewers tuned in to watch the broadcast. The event enjoyed strong participation from the music and video sectors and was hosted by Cindy Crawford alongside William Baldwin. Notable attendees included Bill Pullman, George Clooney, Kurt Russell, Steve Martin, Jennifer Tilly, Melanie Griffith, Danny Glover, Alfre Woodard, and David Spade.[4] Among the winners, Jim Carrey received three awards and uniquely expressed gratitude to voters: "I'm thankful for this award, even if you rented my tapes just to show the guy behind the counter that you rent more than porn videos." Eileen Fitzpatrick of Billboard praised the ceremony as "surprisingly entertaining" and commended Blockbuster for enhancing home video's prestige. However, she questioned awarding honors separately for theatrical releases and video formats since most nominated films had been available on video for months. This distinction led to confusion among recipients; for example, Sandra Bullock won Best Action / Adventure / Thriller Actress in Video for Speed shortly before also being announced as the winner in the theatrical category for the same film—and reportedly was unsure whether to enter or exit the stage.[7]
Subsequent awards
The second edition of the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards took place on March 6, 1996, at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, with Kelsey Grammer serving as host. Although Blockbuster was a Viacom subsidiary—which also owned Paramount Pictures, MTV, Big Ticket Television, and Worldvision Enterprises—producer Ken Ehrlich emphasized that the ceremony deliberately distanced itself from Paramount to enhance its impartiality. Consequently, only five out of the 49 nominations were for Paramount productions. Additionally, the broadcast shifted from CBS to the United Paramount Network (UPN). Unlike the inaugural event, which was pre-recorded and aired later, this second ceremony was broadcast live.
The third Blockbuster Entertainment Awards were held on March 11, 1997, again at the Pantages Theatre. This event set a record by receiving over 11 million votes from the public, making it the largest audience-voted awards show at that time. Performances during the ceremony included appearances by Reba McEntire, Tony Rich, Blackstreet, and Garth Brooks.
On March 10, 1998, the fourth annual Blockbuster Entertainment Awards returned to the Pantages Theatre. Voter participation remained strong with more than 11 million ballots submitted. Live musical performances featured Boyz II Men, Garth Brooks, Mariah Carey, and Savage Garden.
The fifth installment of the awards ceremony occurred on June 16, 1999, at the Shrine Auditorium. Approximately 6.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the event on television. Notably, Harry Connick Jr. expressed surprise at his Best Actor nomination for Hope Floats, a film that received poor critical reception.
The sixth Blockbuster Entertainment Awards took place on May 9, 2000, also at the Shrine Auditorium. This year marked a milestone as video game categories were introduced alongside music and film awards. Christina Aguilera and the Backstreet Boys each secured two awards during this ceremony.
The seventh and final Blockbuster Entertainment Awards were held on April 10, 2001, at the Shrine Auditorium. The televised event attracted an audience of about 4.5 million viewers. Live performances included Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow, Joe, Mystikal, LeAnn Rimes, and Ricky Martin.
Categories
The Blockbuster Entertainment Awards featured a variety of categories across different entertainment sectors.
Movies
- Favorite Actor in Action/Adventure
- Favorite Actress in Action/Adventure
- Favorite Actor in Comedy
- Favorite Actress in Comedy
- Favorite Actor in Drama
- Favorite Actress in Drama
- Favorite Actor in Horror
- Favorite Actress in Horror
- Favorite Actor in Science Fiction
- Favorite Actress in Science Fiction
- Favorite Actor in Suspense
- Favorite Actress in Suspense
- Favorite Newcomer Actor
- Favorite Newcomer Actress
- Family Animated Favorite
- Family Favorite
- Family Favorite Film
- Favorite Family Film
- Supporting Actor - Action/Adventure
- Supporting Actress - Action/Adventure
- Supporting Actor - Comedy
- Supporting Actress - Comedy
- Supporting Actor - Drama
- Supporting Actress - Drama
- Supporting Actor - Horror
- Supporting Actress - Horror
- Supporting Actor - Science Fiction
- Supporting Actress - Science Fiction
- Supporting Actor - Suspense
- Supporting Actress - Suspense
- Favorite Actor in Drama/Romance
- Favorite Actress in Drama/Romance
- Favorite Actor in Comedy/Romance
- Favorite Actress in Comedy/Romance
- Supporting Actor - Drama/Romance
- Supporting Actress - Drama/Romance
- Supporting Actor - Comedy/Romance
- Supporting Actress - Comedy/Romance
- Favorite Comedy Team
- Favorite Action Team
- Favorite Actor in Action
- Favorite Actress in Action
- Favorite Actor in Action/Science Fiction
- Supporting Actor - Action/Science Fiction
- Favorite Villain Award
- Filmmaker Award
- World Artist Award
Music
- Favorite CD Release
- Country Duo/Group of the Year
- Female Country Artist of the Year
- Male Country Artist of the Year
- Female R&B Artist of the Year
- R&B Group of the Year
- Male Rap Artist of the Year
- Rap Group of the Year
- Classic Rock Group of the Year
- Modern Rock Group of the Year
- Favorite Soundtrack Album
- Pop Group of the Year
- Female Pop Artist of the Year
- New Artist Group of the Year
- New Male Artist of the Year
- New Female Artist of the Year
- Male Pop Artist of the Year
- Rap Artist of the Year
- Latino Artist of the Year
- Latino Group of the Year
- Favorite Single Track
- Song from a Movie – Favorite
- Comedy Music Artist – Favorite
- Female Artist of the Year – Favorite
- Male Artist of the Year – Favorite
- Group of the Year – Favorite
Video Games
- Overall Favorite Video Game
- Best PlayStation Game
- Best PlayStation 2 Game
- Best Nintendo 64 Game
- Best Game Boy Game
- Best Dreamcast Game
Cancellation
After seven consecutive years, Blockbuster decided to discontinue the awards ceremony in November 2001. This choice was largely influenced by uncertainties following the September 11 attacks. The company expressed concerns about unpredictable consumer reactions and shifting audience viewing patterns amid global events, stating they could not forecast how viewers would respond to their program. Additionally, Blockbuster referenced how the 53rd Primetime Emmy Awards had to be postponed twice due to security issues related to September 11, and when eventually broadcast, experienced a 22% decline in viewership compared to the previous year. These factors collectively led to their decision to cancel future award shows.
Ratings
| Year | Weekday | Broadcast date | Television network | Household rating | 18–49 demographic rating | Viewership (millions) |
Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | Share | Rating | Share | ||||||
| 1995 | Tuesday | June 6 | CBS | 5.7 | 10 | — | — | 8.20 | [8] |
| 1996 | Wednesday | March 6 | UPN | 2.4 | 4 | — | — | 3.10 | [9] |
| 1997 | Tuesday | March 11 | 3.3 | 5 | — | — | 4.62 | [10][11] | |
| 1998 | March 10 | 3.1 | 5 | — | — | 4.63 | [12][13] | ||
| 1999 | Wednesday | June 16 | Fox | 6.5 | 11 | — | — | 9.67 | [14][15] |
| 2000 | Tuesday | June 20 | 4.3 | 8 | 2.5 | 8 | 5.89 | [16][17][18] | |
| 2001 | Wednesday | April 11 | 4.5 | — | 2.7 | 8 | 6.44 | [19][20][21] | |
References
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