Best Actor winner Adrien Brody set a new record for the longest Oscar acceptance speech on Sunday, as the ceremony—already running nearly four hours—saw a slight ratings dip, drawing around 18 million viewers on ABC and Hulu. Despite repeatedly vowing to be “brief,” *The Brutalist* star spoke for an astonishing five minutes and 40 seconds, breaking an eight-decade-old record. British actress Greer Garson previously held the title with her five-minute, 30-second speech after winning Best Actress for *Mrs. Miniver* in 1943, according to Guinness World Records. In response, the Academy later introduced time limits and "play-off" music. However, on Sunday, Brody defiantly halted the orchestra mid-performance. Meanwhile, low-budget indie *Anora* dominated the night, taking home five Oscars, including Best Picture. “Please, turn the music off. I’ve done this before,” said Brody, who won best actor in 2003 for “The Pianist.” “It’s not my first rodeo, but I will be brief. I will not be egregious, I promise,” said Brody, before continuing for another 90 seconds. ABC reported on Monday that the preliminary U.S. audience for the Oscars reached 18.1 million, including viewers on Hulu. This year marked the ceremony’s live-streaming debut, though technical glitches caused some online viewers to miss the final awards. The drop in viewership ends a three-year streak of rising Oscars ratings. Last year’s early estimate was 19.5 million, boosted by *Oppenheimer*’s dominance and musical performances from *Barbie*. At its lowest, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oscars drew just 10.4 million viewers. A decade ago, the telecast regularly surpassed 40 million. ### Mixed but Mostly Positive Reviews Sunday’s show received generally favorable feedback. *Variety* called the 97th Academy Awards “successful in more ways than not,” praising host Conan O’Brien for striking the right balance of “acid and affection.” The *Los Angeles Times* found the ceremony “mostly navigable,” despite an unnecessary musical tribute to James Bond. *Indiewire* hailed it as “one of the best Oscars telecasts in years,” while *The Hollywood Reporter* deemed it “unstable” and “uneven.” A Fittingly Long Speech Adrien Brody’s record-breaking speech seemed apt for *The Brutalist*, a three-and-a-half-hour drama that even includes an intermission. In his nearly six-minute monologue, Brody thanked more than a dozen people by name, including his parents, director Brady Corbet, co-stars Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones, and his girlfriend, Georgina Chapman.