Some thoughts about people’s interest or lack thereof:
Celebrities. Personally, I don’t care about celebrity gossip, but a lot of people do. This is obvious just based on the tabloid magazines I see at the checkout when I’m buying groceries, that TMZ, Buzzfeed and other sources even exist, and that it shows up on Facebook or other social media, at work, and somehow permeates even many of those who might actively try to filter it out. Many people love gossip, gossip about celebrities is, for the average person at least, perceived as mostly harmless since it’s in the public eye. And even though I find gossip detestable in many cases, I can understand why it piques people’s interest, and if they’re going to engage in it, better a celebrity who is accustomed to it and made choices to live their lives publicly, rather than spreading potentially hurtful rumors about coworker, family members, etc.
Glamour. We have a fascination with that lifestyle. Award shows are a rare glimpse for the average person into that lifestyle, seeing celebrities dressed up and gathered in one place, seeing them interact with each other. It feeds into that fantasy both by making it seem more accessible, in seeing them out and about rather than on film or in interviews, but also more intriguing because they’re still putting up a facade of what their lives are.
Film fans. Some people just LOVE films in the way that, as mentioned up thread, some people love sports or music or games or whatever. Personally, I’m a film fan and I’m often keeping my ear to the ground about news of films I’m interested in and other upcoming projects and such, but I’m content to learn about who did or didn’t win whenever. For me, there’s no need to see 3 hours of a presentation when I can check it later or keep an eye on it while doing other things. It’s not like the decision is being made right then, it’s just being announced. But that’s not the case for everyone, it’s not unlike how people will claim “OMG SPOILERS!!” if you just mention a casting decision or even talk about a basic plot point revealed in the promotional material. Some people are REALLY into it and love to learn about it right away, share in the joy of the winners, talk about it with friends as it happens, etc. I think that’s reasonable. I love football and I watch games (assuming my team hasn’t crushed my hope already), but I don’t NEED to know everything about every game AS it happens, much less from other sports. Meanwhile, I know some sports fans who are watching multiple games and staying updated on all of it simultaneously. They’re fanatical and they’ll soak up every bit of it they can get. And, hell, I’m not that way about most films, but I AM that way about music, particularly my favorite artists, keeping my ear to the ground for upcoming albums and tour dates, new singles, etc. You may not feel that way about films, but many people are varying degrees more passionate about film.
Controversy. Every year, whether well ahead of time, on the carpet, during the ceremony, or in some post reaction, there’s always controversy. This year the whole #oscarsowhite got a lot of press. I think even many people who agree with those sentiments thought it may have been overblown, but regardless, people wanted to see how it would play out. How would Chris Rock handle it? And other ones like, was Leo FINALLY going to get his Oscar? Were there going to be “snubs”? Would someone say something ridiculous in an acceptance speech? Would there be a “wardrobe malfunction” or “too similar dress” incident on the carpet? Something happens seemingly every year, and I’m sure that gets people interested that might not otherwise be.
So, yeah, I’m not surprised at all the Oscars are a big deal, they’re probably the single biggest awards, given how thoroughly Hollywood permeates our culture and it being the most important of all the film awards.
