when The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King The film dominated the 2004 Academy Awards, making history by winning all 11 categories, including Best Picture. Yes, this is the biggest Oscar sweep of all time. But it may also be the first film to win Best Picture with its own toy line.
Until then, critically acclaimed blockbusters such as Star Wars and Lost Ark Guide Didn’t win the big prize. It’s never happened since Lord of the Ringsdespite making worthwhile efforts black pantherboth avatar and Barbie (Actually the only one nominated for Best Picture based on on the toy line).
But this year’s Best Picture winner may ultimately herald a renaissance for commercial cinema.
no no Dune: Part 2although it could get a picture nomination. As far as the journey is concerned, evil What I’m talking about is Jon M. Chu’s musical about a misunderstood witch and talking animals. Admittedly, though, its toy rollout wasn’t all smooth sailing, as the Mattel toys contained… a very unfortunate packaging typographical error. (Whatever you do, don’t search for “Wicked.com” around children.)
Why are you so obsessed with toys? Because it reflects some of the prejudices Academy members have against similar films evil: Too childish. Too frivolous. Too commercial. Too plasticky.
Perhaps that’s why this film may have a hard time earning a spot in the Oscar discussion. In a recent survey of awards insiders Los Angeles Times, evil Ranked 18th among top photo opportunities – not mentioned by three-quarters of respondents evil Not at all – even though that was made before movies became a phenomenon. hollywood reporter Scott Feinberg’s Wizard of Odds ranked it at a much more optimistic top 10 at No. 6.
However, a week after its release, evil is starting to become a strong contender. Now, Elphaba is not flying into the western sky with the statuette in hand. But it is undeniable evil To win Best Picture, it has a lot going for it.
Let’s start with the obvious. Academy members not only like evil – them like evil. Audiences at Directors Guild, PGA and SAG screenings in Los Angeles and New York, as well as Oscar screenings, erupted in applause after many of the songs and gave the film a standing ovation after its gripping finale.
Guild members have been known to offer standing Os – they did just that last year Oppenheimer When Christopher Nolan appeared on the Q&A, but according to those in attendance, people were evil It has reached another level.
And then there’s those gross revenues. We are about to experience a cinematic near-extinction event – the COVID-19 pandemic – during which smaller films suitable for streaming, such as ending and nomadic land for best picture.
But in the post-pandemic world, some voters seem hungry for spectacle. last year, Oppenheimer It’s the perfect combination of IMAX-sized visuals and heavy-handed themes – one that the Academy can proudly point to as a billion-dollar earner and say, “This is the gold standard of motion pictures.” It bodes well. evil.
While other film skeptics and activists will cite evil No doubt not that serious OppenheimerUniversal and its advisers will lean into the material’s dark and politically resonant themes to show it can hold its own in terms of substance.
The film actually has political roots. It was originally a bestseller by Gregory Maguire, who wrote it after seeing the title “Saddam Hussein: The Next Hitler?” during Operation Desert Storm in 1990 . Maguire envisions a dystopian Oz where wizards are fascist tyrants.
Years later, when Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz teamed up to adapt the novel into a musical, George W. Bush was taking power and beating the drums of war before the U.S. invaded Iraq . Holtzman and Schwartz mentioned ideas like “regime change” in the script (Glinda was referring to the house falling on the Wicked Witch of the East).
Come 2024, there’s no doubt who the Wizard is calling. Even though Universal had no specific plans to release the film just weeks after Donald Trump’s election, we did it anyway. If there’s one thing that can unite many members of the fragmented and fragmented academy electorate right now, it’s post-election blues — and the desire to take action. This could lead them to the Emerald City. As at least one voter said: “If your vote for president doesn’t matter, you make it count. evil”.
Of course, there will also be a few buckets of water evil Dodge along the way. One is the preferential voting system, which asks voters to rank their best picture choices, and often favors smaller films, e.g. moonlightit will surely arouse widespread consensus and win the grand prize. evil It can end up being too big, compelling and divisive for its own good, resulting in a smaller win for the movie.
The film is also the first in a two-part series. Voters might consider waiting until the second film is released before celebrating Chu’s achievement, awarding the entire vision a Best Picture award. After all, that’s what happened Return of the King: All three chapters of Peter Jackson’s fantasy epic were nominated for Best Picture, but only the last one won, as voters in a sense rewarded this classic.
despite this, evil Cases have their merits. As this year’s Oscars ceremony emerges from the disruption of COVID-19 and the SAG and WGA strikes (as well as the lingering specter of streaming and artificial intelligence), it might would lead many Hollywood employment voters to reward a humane (and artificial) blockbuster that validates the traditional studio system.
In other words, it might just be a few months before we say, “Move over, Mattel’s Glinda and Elphaba action fashion dolls—it’s time to make room for the Oscars.”
