Yet, even the makers of some of this year's best picture nominees say the spending is out of control. "The time and money that goes into these campaigns is so disproportionate to the budgets of the films," said "Sideways" producer Michael London. "The more money other people spend, the more you have to spend to remain competitive."
In fact, "Sideways' " push hasn't been insignificant, costing an estimated $10 million, said one participant, although a studio spokesman insists that "it's millions less than that."
"Someone needs to rein in the whole system," London said.
Thus far the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which should be in the best position to do so, has had little success. "The only answer is that everyone join together and take up something like the salary cap in sports or campaign contributions in political campaigns," London said.
Added Richard Gladstein, producer of best picture nominee "Finding Neverland": "Once you've been nominated, that's the place to stop" campaigning for awards.
The disparity between the Oscar rich and poor this year is stark. Paramount Pictures spent almost $200,000 to fly Mick Jagger and his entourage on a private jet to the Golden Globe Awards -- and he didn't even end up with an Oscar nomination for best original song for "Alfie."
On the other hand, the complete Oscar budget for "Maria Full of Grace," whose star garnered a best actress nomination, totals less than $1 million. The awards budget for "Vera Drake," another film with a best actress contender, is about $2 million.
The spending variance even exists between different divisions of the same conglomerate. New Line Cinema's "Maria Full of Grace," with star Sandino Moreno, is going up against Hilary Swank and "Million Dollar Baby," which was released by Warner Bros. Both are owned by Time Warner Inc.
The tough reality for smaller movies is that an Academy Award can be far more beneficial to them than to a blockbuster, helping turn an art film from a money-losing labor of love into a box-office hit.
"Sideways," the critically acclaimed dark comedy about two Pinot-swilling guys on a wine-country road trip, has seen its box-office gross soar to $59 million -- partly because of its five Oscar nominations and Fox Searchlight's aggressive campaign on its behalf.
"You might want to look like you came out of nowhere," said Bruce Feldman, an Oscar consultant on this year's "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" who has campaigned in years past for "Gladiator," "Schindler's List" and "Shrek." "But to do that, you have to spend."
