Malkovich says Oscars campaigns are now the only way to draw people to cinemas
At a BFI London Film Festival talk on Sunday, John Malkovich, tipped for an Oscar nomination for "Wild Horse Nine", said awards campaigns are now the only way to get audiences into theatres. He also spoke about the Kennedy assassination and his career.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 2John Malkovich, 72, spoke at a London Film Festival talk on Sunday 11 October 2026, where he said awards campaigning has become the main way to get people into cinemas. The Hollywood ReporterLC “Now, [the awards trail] is the only way to get people to go to the theaters, the whole thing, and that’s months and months and months.”” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC “Speaking at a London Film Festival Screen Talk on Sunday, Malkovich said he views awards buzz “probably differently than I did then, because the movie business existed.”” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 2Malkovich is highly tipped for an Oscar nomination for Martin McDonagh's CIA black comedy "Wild Horse Nine", in which he stars opposite Sam Rockwell. VarietyLC “John Malkovich has been highly tipped for an Oscar nomination for his performance in Martin McDonagh’s CIA black comedy “Wild Horse Nine,”” Read at Variety ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “Wild Horse Nine stars Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as Chris and Lee, longtime CIA partners stationed in Santiago, Chile” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 2He said his earlier Oscar-nominated films, such as "Places in the Heart" and "In the Line of Fire", had already been released and made their money before awards season, whereas now an Oscar run seems to be the only way to get people to a theatre. VarietyLC “they’re already been out, they’d already made their money, they were already successful. The same with ‘In the Line of Fire,’”” Read at Variety ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC “Now, [winning an Oscar] seems to be the only way you get people to actually go to a theater.”” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗
Left · 2He said he has attended the Oscars only once, for "Places in the Heart", and recounted his manager Phyllis asking him not to expect a side door: "Honey, it’s the Oscars, there’s no side door." He called this his "native personality in the face of that onslaught". VarietyLC “only attended the Oscars once, when he was nominated for “Places in the Heart.”” Read at Variety ↗ The Hollywood ReporterLC ““So that’s my native personality in the face of that onslaught,” he said about embarking on another campaign for Wild Horse Nine.” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 2Asked whether the change troubled him, he said he does not like thinking things aren't what they used to be: "They just change, and you either change with them or die. And I prefer to change with them." The Hollywood ReporterLC “you either change with them or die. And I prefer to change with them.”” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC ““I’m 72 years old, things change,” he said.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1Asked about the Kennedy assassination, a recurring theme in his films and one his character in "Wild Horse Nine" is implied to have played a part in, he replied: "I know what didn’t happen is what they said happened." He also said he is "not a political person". The Hollywood ReporterLC ““I know what didn’t happen is what they said happened.””“Malkovich confessed he is “not a political person,”” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗
Left · 1The film is set shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup, with the two agents sent to Easter Island to confront their pasts. It premiered at Venice in September, where Malkovich won the best actor prize, and had its UK premiere at the London festival on Friday. VarietyLC “Set shortly before the 1973 Chilean coup d’etat, the two are dispatched to Easter Island”“first premiered at Venice Film Festival in September, where it received rave reviews and Malkovich took home the best actor prize.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1He also praised McDonagh as a "great writer" and Rockwell as perfect in the film, and discussed his career, his recent discovery that he is 43 percent Romanian, and Robert Rodriguez's "100 Years", which is locked in a vault until 2115. The Hollywood ReporterLC “Malkovich described McDonagh as a “great writer” and a “direct, kind” filmmaker.”“will open in the year 2115” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ Left · 2The two outlets give different years for his earlier nominations: The Hollywood Reporter says 1985 and 1994, while Variety says 1984 and 1993. The Hollywood ReporterLC “he’s been recognized before in 1985 and 1994 for Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, respectively” Read at The Hollywood Reporter ↗ VarietyLC ““Places in the Heart” (1984) and “In the Line of Fire” (1993)” Read at Variety ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Both left-leaning trade outlets lead with Malkovich's remark that awards campaigns are now the only way to fill theatres, presented as an entertaining festival-talk recap with the Oscars race at its centre.
- Emphasis
- Awards-season momentum, the change in the film business, anecdotes about his manager and the Oscars. The Hollywood Reporter adds the JFK remark, co-star and director praise and career asides. Variety adds the Venice best actor win.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither article reports any dissenting view on the claim about campaigns and cinema attendance. Variety leaves out the JFK exchange.
- Charged language
- “almost certainly an Oscar nomination lock”“highly tipped”
- For example
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“his performance in which is being hailed as potentially the best of his career and almost certainly an Oscar nomination lock.” — The Hollywood Reporter
“John Malkovich has been highly tipped for an Oscar nomination for his performance” — Variety
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Malkovich spoke at a BFI London Film Festival talk on Sunday 11 October 2026.
- He said awards campaigning now seems the only way to get people to go to theatres.
- He attended the Oscars once, for Places in the Heart, and told the Phyllis 'no side door' anecdote.
- He is tipped for an Oscar nomination for Wild Horse Nine, which had its UK premiere on the Friday.
Where accounts differ
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Years of Malkovich's earlier Oscar nominations
- Left
- The Hollywood Reporter says 1985 (Places in the Heart) and 1994 (In the Line of Fire); Variety says 1984 and 1993.
John Malkovich person
Says he feels uneasy about the awards onslaught but accepts it as part of the business now, and says he prefers to change with the industry rather than lament it.
“But also, I’m a grown-up. It’s a part of the business now.”” — The Hollywood Reporter
“I don’t really like thinking things aren’t what they used to be.” — Variety
Left2 articles
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John Malkovich Says an Oscars Campaign “Is the Only Way to Get People to Go to the Theaters Now”
Sympathetic Event recap that leads with the Oscars-and-theatres quote, then covers the JFK answer, co-star praise and career anecdotes, treating Malkovich as an awards frontrunner.
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Sympathetic Awards-focused recap stressing how the Oscars race has changed since his last nominations, with Venice win context.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 11 Oct 14:55 First The Hollywood ReporterLC John Malkovich Says an Oscars Campaign “Is the Only Way to Get People to Go to the Theaters Now”
- 11 Oct 15:11 +16m VarietyLC John Malkovich Says the Oscars Race Was a ‘Different World’ When He Was Last on the Campaign Trail: ‘Now, That’s the Only Way to Get People to Go to Theaters’
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.