Netflix could break record for best Oscar film

Netflix could make Oscar history.

Netflix’s arsenal of content this year could give the streamer the most picture nominations of any studio in history, a record held by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which won five nods. at the ninth Academy Awards in 1937. It could even earn the streaming giant its first best photo victory after failing with Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma”.

MGM achieved the feat when the Academy nominated 10 films in the Best Pictures category. “The Great Ziegfeld” was the big winner, taking home three statues. It was joined by other films released in 1936: “Libeled Lady”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “San Francisco” and “A Tale of Two Cities”. At the time, MGM was Hollywood’s undisputed heavyweight as a hotbed of talent such as Shirley Temple, Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn and many more. The A-list was so extensive that the studio once boasted of having “more stars than heavens.”

Netflix also has one of the city’s deepest arsenals. It has been building, purchasing and publishing great content for years. In this extended eligibility season with the COVID-19 pandemic preventing studios from widely showing their films in theaters, the streamer has many Oscar nominees. With five months left in awards season, it’s still early days to call if the Distributor will succeed in breaking the record. So how does the streaming giant get there theoretically?

It should be noted that this is the final year of the “sliding scale” vote for the best picture. Since this rule was adopted in 2011, the lineup has resulted in eight or nine nominees. With the Oscars 2022, the Academy will revert to a “back-to-back 10” selection for their most coveted category, allowing AMPAS voters to select 10 films on their ballots. Under the current system, they vote for five, and a movie must receive 5% of the number one vote to be nominated for Best Picture.

David Fincher’s “Mank” and Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” are in the safest position to make the cut. Both have received strong reviews from critics and boast many elements that are generally recognized by the Academy. About 63% of the Academy’s voters are in the technical fields, and this is where “Mank” will do well in categories like cinematography and sound. With “Chicago 7,” the editing, writing and acting branches will help propel him over the line.

George C. Wolfe’s “My Rainey’s Black Bottom” is next on the list and other than quality and movie reviews, the math and precedence is in its favor. The late Chadwick Boseman received the kind of notice actors dream of, with some identifying him as one of the top two contenders for Best Actor (the other is Anthony Hopkins in “The Father”). Assuming Boseman is “the one” to join Peter Finch (“Network”) as the only previous posthumous Best Actor winner, the film would almost certainly earn a nomination for Best Picture. In the past 50 years, there have only been 10 lead actor winners whose films did not receive a nomination for best picture. In the last 20, there have only been three: Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”, Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland” and Denzel Washington in “Training Day”. With “Ma Rainey” also likely to land a Best Actress nomination for Viola Davis, the film looks likely to join the club of the film’s top contenders.

After these three, the picture is more blurry.

Musicals by nature divide mainstream audiences and critics alike, which is why, despite the inclusion of ‘The Prom’, the film will remain in the bubble until big guilds like PGA and SAG nominate their nominations. . There has also been a lot of snarking on Twitter about star Meryl Streep’s rapping skills.

Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” appears to be a powerful vehicle for securing star Delroy Lindo his first nomination and possibly landing a supporting actor nomination for Boseman, who co-stars. But time is never an ally in capturing the attention of voters. “Da 5 Bloods” opened in June, and over the next four months many newer and brighter objects made headlines, some even thanks to Netflix.

George Clooney’s “The Midnight Sky” is the greatest film he has ever built in both visual reach and narrative weight. Clooney is an Academy darling, and it would be foolish not to consider him in the mix given Clooney’s eight nominations and Clooney’s double performance record, winner for Best Supporting Actor for “Syriana” in 2006 and for Best Picture for the 2012 ‘Argo’ co-production. “He’s also just one of three nominees in six different categories (along with Walt Disney and Alfonso Cuarón). Taking into account the likely controversy in the design of production, cinematography, original score and visual effects, “The Midnight Sky” could get a ticket to the big night.

Vanessa Kirby’s brave turn in “Pieces of a Woman” has placed her at the forefront of the Best Actress race, but the impression that she is “very difficult to watch” does not make her a contender. main to be adopted by the Academy to large. Back in the days of the Top Five Film Nominees, director Kornél Mundruczó mirrored a textbook-making contender (like Paul Greengrass for “United 93” and Mike Leigh for “Vera Drake”) with all the talk surrounding his style. film virtuoso in a 23- minute sequence of a take that highlights the difficult subject of the film. If the Academy could look past these graphic moments, “Pieces of a Woman” might have a fighting chance with an early January release date.

“The Life Ahead” with Sophia Loren and “The White Tiger” with Priyanka Chopra Jonas will probably not be part of the best race in movies. The same goes for “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” by Charlie Kaufman and “The 40-Year-Old Version” by Radha Blank, no matter how bad some people think they are (spoiler alert: me). The Academy does not often choose “cerebral” or just “cool” films and performances, which these last two elements embody. They may be too much of a niche for AMPAS to like.

An additional record in the eyes of Netflix is ​​that held since the Oscars of 1974. In the 92-year history of the Academy, there has only been once a category totally dominated by a studio. Paramount Pictures was able to do this in Best Costume Design where the winner “The Great Gatsby” triumphed over “Chinatown”, “Daisy Miller”, “The Godfather Part II” and “Murder on the Orient Express”. Highly unlikely, but Netflix could move closer in categories like Best Actress and Best Editing, pending how much interest Frances McDormand and “Nomadland” maintains.

What’s interesting is that while many major studio releases such as “Black Widow” and “No Time to Die” have been pushed back to 2021 due to the pandemic, there are actually a record number of Oscar contenders this year. Much of the credit must go to steamboats, including Amazon Studios, Apple TV Plus, HBO Max, and Hulu. Imagine if none of the banners existed. All those headlines and jokes on Twitter stating “there are no movies this year” would, in fact, be close to the truth.

But Netflix doesn’t just want to be nominated. He spends a lot to produce and market his content because he wants top prize. After failing with “Roma” of 2018 and missing “The Irishman” and “Marriage Story” of 2019, this may be the year he finally breaks the glass ceiling of the Dolby Theater.

Visit THE AWARDS HUB to see the full list of nominees by category.

Oscars 2021 predictions