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Wait — the Oscars cost HOW much?!

(Dan MacMedan/WireImage)
(Dan MacMedan/WireImage)

Ever wondered how much the daddy of all entertainment award shows costs every year? Well, you can safely assume nothing comes from Costco. Check out these surprising tickets, along with some grocery list items from the Academy of Motion Pictures 2015 Annual Report, where an independent auditor puts a price tag on expenses such as the venue rental to the 13.5-inch tall gold statuette.

THE SPACE: The event is held at Dolby Theatre (formerly the Kodak Theatre) located at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles, California. The theatre is rented to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for weeks before the actual event, and ‘Theatre Rental’ price tag in 2015 was US$349,100 (up from US$285,000 in 2014).

THE ENVELOPES: Designer Marc Friedland debuted his Oscar envelopes and announcement cards in 2011, which cost US$200 in 2014 each and incidentally are gold and weigh 0.25 pounds. According to Mashable, Friedland’s team worked 110 hours in 2014 to create three sets of envelopes for the Oscars’ 24 categories (72 envelopes in total) as well as three announcement cards for every nominee (363 cards for 121 nominees).

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THE TROPHY: The statuettes are now made of solid hand-cast bronze and plated in 24-karat gold. Prior to last year’s event, they were made of pewter with an estimated price tag of US$400 in 2011. However, the casting process for bronze makes it a much more expensive award than pewter, so the value rose significantly in 2016. And let’s not forget the after-market value; the Los Angeles Times reports that Michael Jackson paid US$1.54 million for the 1939 best picture statuette for “Gone With the Wind,” and the one 1941 best screenplay Oscar for “Citizen Kane” sold for over US$500,00 in 2012. Joan Crawford’s statuette for “Mildred Pierce” was auctioned off in 2012 for US$426,732. And by the way, it weighs 8.5 pounds and it takes three months to manufacture 50 of them.

THE TICKET: Want to attend the Awards? Unless you’re a nominee or a member of the Academy, you’re probably not going to. Even the studios have to pay for tickets. In 2015, the New York Post reported that the best seats — orchestra, parterre and Mezzanine 1 — cost US$750 apiece. Mezzanine 2 spots cost US$375 and D-list nosebleeds go for US$150.

THE SWAG: Contrary to popular belief, these approximately US$230,000 gift bags are nothing to do with the Academy, but are distributed by Los Angeles-based marketing company Distinctive Assets. And what’s inside is sure to get the lucky recipients ready for the after party. The gift bag for 2016 included a US$250 marijuana vaporizer, a US$250 women’s sex toy, a US$1,900 “vampire breast lift,” and skin treatment worth US$5,530.

THE OUTFITS: In 2016, the 20 nominees for best leading and supporting actor categories wore $749,252, according to LookLive, a company that tracks clothing and accessories worn by celebrities on and off screen. The most expensive dress last year belonged to 45 Years actor Charlotte Rampling, who wore an estimated US$125,000 Swarovski crystal–embellished Armani Privé gown.

Oscar-shaped chocolates are pictured during a preview of the food and decor for the 89th Academy Awards’ Governors Ball at the Ray Dolby ballroom in Los Angeles on February 16, 2017. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)
Oscar-shaped chocolates are pictured during a preview of the food and decor for the 89th Academy Awards’ Governors Ball at the Ray Dolby ballroom in Los Angeles on February 16, 2017. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)

THE NOSH: Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck designed the menu for this year’s Governor’s Ball After-Party immediately following the main event. According to Mercury News, it includes black truffle chicken pot pie, Moroccan-spiced Wagyu short rib, lobster corn dogs, shrimp tacos, gold-dusted truffle popcorn, nitrogen-iced gelato and a chocolate buffet. According to one report, here’s some of what’s on offer in 2017:

  • 12,000 glasses of Piper-Heidsieck Champagne

  • 10,000 glasses of wine from Sonoma’s Francis Ford Coppola Winery

  • 10 kilos of American farm-raised caviar

  • 7,500 shrimp

  • 250 Maine lobsters

  • 15 pounds of black truffles, imported from Burgundy

  • 7,000 miniature chocolate Oscars

  • 30 pounds of edible gold dust at an estimated cost of US$4,844,362 (remember the aforementioned gold-dusted poporn?)

Total cost to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the 2015 Oscars: US$42,651,300

And you complained about Cineplex prices.