Why do they do this?

If that's the case, there's no point in watching The Academy Awards, or placing any weight on whether or not something's won an Oscar. It's not based upon merit, but rather how they can manipulate us into buying more stuff.

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Yes, thank you. I have been saying this for years. This (and because it's just so boring) is why watching the Oscars is as torturous for me as watching American soap operas (see, I like the Spanish ones, 'cause the chicks are way hotter and they talk really fast and act even worse).

All I really know is that the December period is when most people go to see movies.

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I wonder if studios release their biggest movies in December because people go more at that time or vice versa.

I've never enjoyed watching the Oscars either, and haven't watched them for years. They are really just a popularity contest for people in the trade. Sometimes studios have a limited release of a film they consider Oscar worthy in December, to make the film qualify, and so it will be fresh in people's minds at voting time. Then they do the real, wide release in January.

GKE, I see you've discovered why I call Univision The ChiChi Channel! Those latinas are nice to look at...

I wonder if studios release their biggest movies in December because people go more at that time or vice versa.

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Both. It is a feed back systems.

I never watch awards shows anymore. Instead, I check the newspaper the next day, or the net, if I'm interested at all. Then, I usually find out that the movies that won, are artsy-fartsy ones that I've never heard of, or was not interested in seeing.

When deciding to see, rent or buy a movie, if the movie doesn't look like a stupid, worthless concept (those being eliminated in the first cut[1]), I'm much more likely to decide based upon a reviewer/critic with whom I've generally agreed in the past.

[1] 99% of new TV shows fall into this category for me. The last significant exceptions to this were The Dead Zone, Monk, and John Doe.