Oscars Will Start 30 Minutes Earlier This Year

Good news for movie-lovers who hate staying up late. The upcoming Oscars ceremony will begin 30 [...]

Good news for movie-lovers who hate staying up late. The upcoming Oscars ceremony will begin 30 minutes earlier than in years past.

The 2018 Oscars will begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on March 4, ABC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Monday.

This change will also spring Oscars red carpet coverage forward a half-hour as well. The official Oscars pre-show will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET.

The shift comes after the 2017 awards lasted three hours and 49 minutes and ended with the most shocking moment in award show history. When La La Land was mistakenly named best picture over the rightful winner Moonlight, it was after midnight on the East Coast.

The Academy and its network also released the first promo for the show on Monday, 90 days before the 90th annual awards ceremony.

"There's no better season than Oscar season," the promo proclaimed.

The teaser included clips from many of the year's most successful films, including Wonder Woman, Beauty and the Beast, Get Out, and It. But despite being included in the promo, none of these films know whether they'll be nominated for the prestigious awards. Nominations for the 2018 Oscars will be open from January 5-12, and will be announced January 23.

Remembering last year's infamous snafu, the ad also poked fun at the best picture mix-up as it promised "bigger moments" and "better surprises" during the upcoming show.

Jimmy Kimmel is back to host the ceremony, which will air live from the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.

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