Cats removed from Oscars consideration by Universal after global panning

Movie based on the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical was a disaster at the box office and was met with derision from both critics and audiences

Universal has reportedly removed its much-maligned film Cats from Oscars consideration by taking it down from its FYC (“for your consideration”) page of qualifying movies.

According to Variety, the film is also not featured on the streaming platform of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where members can watch contenders for the Oscars.

The film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical has been universally derided by critics, who called it “an insane musical experiment gone wrong” and a movie that “will haunt viewers for generations”.

“Director Tom Hooper seems to have fully condoned and, possibly, even actively desired the chaos of Cats,“ The Independent’s review said. “Every one of his directorial choices – such as using the same Steadicam and vertiginous angles of his 2012 adaptation of Les Misérables – seems tailor-made for maximum disorientation.

Directed by Tom Hooper, Cats features an all-star cast including Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, Ray Winstone, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, Rebel Wilson and Taylor Swift.

As well as being critically panned, the film was a box office bomb, taking $15.3 million worldwide in its first six days, against a budget of $100 million.

The film is said to be so “shockingly bad” that it has prompted cinema walkouts.

Shortly after the film’s release, it was announced that Cats would be given a work-over with “improved visual effects”.

See our ranking of the least to most embarrassing characters in Cats here.