“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has been added as an 11th Best Picture nomination at the Critics’ Choice Awards, the Broadcast Film Critics Association announced on Tuesday.
The film had screened too late for voters to see it before casting their original ballots, so it was not included among the nominees announced on Dec. 14. But after what the organization described as an outcry from the membership, the BFCA held a special referendum on Monday, asking members if they would have included “Star Wars” on their Best Picture ballot if they had seen it before voting.
Enough members said they would vote for the J.J. Abrams film to be added to the list of nominees.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has been added only to the Best Picture category. It will not be considered in any other categories.
This is the second time the BFCA has added an 11th nominee after the original results had been announced. In 2000, the Robert Zemeckis film “Cast Away” was added to the Best Picture lineup after screening too late to have been included in the original nominations.
The move will presumably increase viewer interest in the 21st Annual Critics’ Choice Awards, which will be held on Jan. 17 and televised live on A&E, Lifetime and LMN.
The Critics’ Choice Awards already have a number of categories designed to include popular films and increase viewership, including comedy, action-movie and sci-fi/horror categories.