Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion-Chapter 827 - 598 Oscar Ceremony_2

The most coveted awards were next, and Lionsgate Films' movies won big one after another.

The Best Actress award went to Cate Blanchett, the lead actress in "Carol," who was very emotional on the stage, repeatedly expressing her gratitude towards Catherine.

"Carol" was a film produced by Palm Beach Films, with Catherine serving as the producer.

Additionally, before the awards ceremony, Link had greeted her, advising best not to mention himself to avoid any misunderstandings.

After Cate Blanchett stepped down, last year's Oscar Best Actress winner, Julianne Moore, took the stage to present the Best Actor award.

This year, the five male actors nominated were Link for "American Sniper," Leonardo for "The Revenant," Steve Carell for "The Fox Hunter," Matt Damon for "The Martian," and Joaquin Phoenix for "Wickedness by Nature."

After the Oscar nominations were announced, many media outlets believed that Link had the highest probability of winning this year because all five movies were produced and distributed by Lionsgate Films. With a bit more effort in PR from Lionsgate, Link's chances of winning would vastly increase.

However, Link knew it was impossible. The Academy Awards are extremely strict when selecting leading actors and actresses. Actors who demonstrate magnificent acting skills and make great sacrifices during filming have the greatest chance of winning, giving a sense of 'hard-earned' prestige, which elevates the status of the Oscars.

Especially for the Best Actor award, it seemed the Oscar jury was torturing male actors, resulting in many 'yo-yo dieters,' 'gays,' and 'disabled characters.'

Among the five nominees, Leonardo went to extreme lengths in his acts of 'self-harm.'

Gaining weight and looking ugly, passionately engaged in philanthropy, actively participating in environmental activities, producing several environmental documentaries, dating the black singer Rihanna, risking his life performing opposite a grizzly bear in the film, and so on.

Aside from not playing a disabled person or a gay character, he had done everything else that was expected, making great sacrifices.

This was also Leonardo's fourth Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

Since "The Wolf of Wall Street" in 2014, some media have claimed that the Oscars owe Leonardo a Best Actor statuette.

So, it was no surprise that Leonardo won the award.

When Julianne Moore announced "Leonardo DiCaprio, 'The Revenant,'" on stage, Leonardo stood up excitedly, adjusted his suit, and without waiting for congratulations from others, rushed to the stage in high spirits.

"Hey, Link, look here, this little gold man is mine."

Leonardo shouted, holding the statuette towards Link.

Link smiled and clapped his hands, giving him a thumbs-up.

For many actors, winning an Oscar is akin to an athlete winning an Olympic Gold Medal, a remarkable achievement.

For him, the Oscar statuette was just a minor honor.

It was worth pursuing, but not something to be overly obsessed with.

After winning the award, Leonardo thanked many people on stage, including the many directors he'd worked with—James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, Alejandro González Iñárritu, among others.

In the end, he made a point to thank Link, recalling that they met back in 2008 as neighbors, one living upstairs and the other downstairs. At the time, Link was just an emerging Boxer.

Leonardo said that back then, he was the big star and somewhat reluctant to respond when Link greeted him in the elevator, but now, when he tries to chat with Link, Link doesn't seem to care much.

This remark caused laughter in the auditorium.

Leonardo continued, saying that originally he thought the two of them, being in different professions, would not have much interaction in life.

But then it was discovered that Link was exceptionally versatile. In 2008, after becoming the World Boxing Champion, he switched careers to become a singer in 2009, rising to stardom in the music industry. Later, he continued to cross over into acting and took over Lionsgate Films in 2011, which led to more social interactions, making them partners and friends.

Leonardo expressed his gratitude to Link at the end, mentioning that he knew Link also wanted to win an Oscars award. After the ceremony, he would share with Link the secret to winning the Best Actor Oscar, guaranteeing to help him secure that little golden man.

Link clapped his hands.

After Leonardo stepped off the stage, the Best Director award was presented next.

The nominees for this award included "American Sniper" director Clint Eastwood, "The Revenant" director Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Mad Max: Fury Road" director George Miller, "The Big Short" director Adam McKay, and "Spotlight" director Thomas McCarthy.

Four of the five nominated directors were from films made by Lionsgate Films.

In the end, Alejandro González Iñárritu won the award.

After winning Best Director last year for "Birdman," he secured the same award again, making him the only director in the history of the Oscars to win the title consecutively.

Both films were collaborations with Lionsgate Films.

Lionsgate Films is now considered a "Nobel" pathfinder by many filmmakers.

Some media outlets claimed that, prior to 2011, the best way to realize one's film dreams and to win an Oscars was to work with Harvey Weinstein. After 2011, it was to collaborate with Lionsgate Films.

The last award presented was for Best Picture.

"American Sniper" won this award, as it captured the mainstream theme. Chris Kyle is hailed as an American hero. The film represents the American spirit and praises those who defend this spirit.

"American Sniper" rightfully deserved the award.

By 10 p.m., the Academy Awards ceremony had come to a close. Lionsgate Films' 11 movies won 6 awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.

Out of 48 nominations, they won 6 awards, which is far less than last year's 35 nominations and 11 wins. However, the awards won by Lionsgate Films' movies this year were more prestigious than some of those won last year.

Afterwards, numerous media outlets expressed their discontent on behalf of Lionsgate Films.

They felt the Academy was clearly limiting the number of awards given to Lionsgate Films' movies. Otherwise, with classics like "The Revenant," "American Sniper," "The Martian," and "Carol," it wouldn't be likely for them to win just 6 awards, which is as many as "Mad Max 4" alone.

Lionsgate Films, however, did not want to delve further into this matter. The 88th Oscars had concluded, and the company's focus was on moving forward, striving to earn more nominations and awards at next year's Oscars.

In just over a month before and after the Academy Awards, the 11 Oscar-nominated movies from Lionsgate Films all saw increases in their box office revenues.

"The Revenant" currently has $212 million at the North American box office and $584 million worldwide, with an increase of over $30 million.

"American Sniper" has $392 million at the North American box office and $668 million worldwide, with a substantial increase of over $20 million from overseas markets.

Other films including "The Martian," "Carol," "The Fox Hunter," and "The Big Short" also saw favorable box office gains.

The distribution department estimated the total box office increase to be around $200 million.

This also demonstrated that Lionsgate Films' investment in Oscar public relations was worthwhile.

After the Oscars, Link was at home playing the role of a stay-at-home dad, training for boxing, and preparing for the upcoming four title defense bouts.

There's also the 31st Summer Olympic Games in August, and as a member of the USA Swimming Team, he would also train in the swimming hall whenever he had the time, gearing up for the Olympics.