Who gets an Oscar invitation? Why even A-listers have to battle for the exclusive ticket

So your dream is to attend the Oscars? Dream on!

The Academy Awards is, of course, the ne plus ultra of Hollywood tickets, a show so drenched in glitter and glamour that, famously, even the famous sometimes don’t get an invite.

Equally common is Oscar-nominated stars doing the celebrity version of panhandling to try and get more than the standard two-ticket allotment so their friends and loved ones can see their possible moment of Oscar glory.

That all leaves us mere mortal movie fans high and dry when it comes to being able to attend awards season’s biggest night, with exceptions that are best described as somewhere between the unlikely and the not a chance in Hades.

We caught up with two Oscars experts to get their insights on who gets to get dressed up: Michael Schulman, New Yorker writer and author of “Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears,” and Dave Karger, TCM host and author of “50 Oscar Nights: Iconic Stars & Filmmakers on Their Career-Defining Wins.”

Where is the 2024 Academy Awards held?

For the past 20 years, the Oscars have been held at the Dolby Theatre in the heart of Hollywood. In the past, the locations were far smaller and ranged from hotels to nightclubs.

The prized orchestra-level seating at the Dolby will be taken by the A-list stars, largely because those most likely to win awards need to be able to make it to the stage without delay. But guests in balconies aren’t left totally high and dry. “Each floor has its own bar and popcorn station, and there’s lots of milling around,” says Schulman.

Who gets to attend the 2024 Academy Awards?

The capacity of the multitiered Dolby Theatre is 3,300, and “half of those people will be connected in some way to nominees or presenters, and the other half are Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members,” of which there are more than 10,000, says Schulman.

The attendees also include members of the media (USA TODAY receives tickets to the event for coverage purposes) as well as the all-important seat fillers, who take the seats of stars as they get up to accept their Oscars. Those positions go to people with Academy connections.

Can I go to the 2024 Academy Awards?

Unless you are invited by someone with tickets or have connections to the movie industry, attending is unlikely.

“One thing is trying to apply for a lottery to get tickets to the red carpet, which does feature fans,” says Karger of a now-concluded giveaway. “But those folks aren’t going into the theater.”

Do stars get lots of tickets to the 2024 Academy Awards?

A nominee or presenter at the Oscars gets two tickets. Studios get more than that if their movie has been nominated for best picture.

“The Holdovers” co-star and supporting actress nominee Da’Vine Joy Randolph recently made headlines with her plea for extra tickets. In 2022, “West Side Story” star Rachel Zegler was denied a ticket but ultimately attended after being asked to present. In 2018, Karger says, he gave his tickets to Allison Janney, who invited friends to see her win best supporting actress that night for “I, Tonya.” Says Karger, “If I had some this year, I’d give them to Da’Vine.”

Did the Oscars ever invite regular people to the awards show?

When the Oscars debuted in 1929, the banquet hall was so small that only movie stars who had a chance of winning were in attendance, says Schulman. But in 1936, amid a boycott by the Screen Actors Guild, cancellations for the Oscars meant that tickets “were distributed among secretaries” at the studios, Schulman says.

Another brief touch of populism took place in 1944, when as a salute to the military during World War II, the Oscars included “the public and some service members at the awards, so they didn’t look callous or out of touch,” he says.

What’s the big deal about seeing the Oscars in person?

Given the duration of the ceremony – typically more than three hours with all the commercial breaks – it can be a long night at the theater if you’re lucky enough to get an Oscars ticket, says Schulman. But it’s worth the slog, particularly if something crazy happens.

“I was there when the slap happened (when Will Smith hit presenter Chris Rock), and the atmosphere instantly became charged and electric in the theater,” he says. But, Schulman adds, “as soon as the show's over, it all gets taken down and you see it’s all smoke and mirrors, classic Hollywood.”

Is there anything tougher to get into than the 2024 Oscars?

Schulman doesn’t hesitate with his answer to that question. “As hard as it is to get into the Oscars, it’s much, much harder to get into the Vanity Fair party at the Oscars,” says the author, who has attended thanks to having written for the magazine.

“You pretty much have to show up after the ceremony with an Oscar in your hand,” he says with a laugh. “Otherwise, it’s, ‘Better luck next time.’ ”