With a record setting weekend nearly complete, it’s time to seriously discuss the next portion of the remarkable journey of “Black Panther” to the big screen: awards season and the 91st Academy Awards.
Currently “Black Panther” has a sterling 87 on Metacritic, the best representation of critical accolades online (sorry Rotten Tomatoes, but positive or negative doesn’t cut it). For comparison’s sake, let’s look at the Metacritic grades of this year’s Oscar Best Picture nominees.
“Dunkirk” (94)
“Lady Bird” (94)
“Call Me By Your Name” (93)
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (87)
Wait…we can stop there.
No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Ryan Coogler’s epic currently has a critical reception higher than five of this year’s Best Picture contenders. In fact, it has a grade higher than or equal to the three films battling for Best Picture: “Shape of Water” (86), “Get Out” (84) and “Three Billboards.” And for fun’s sake, let’s compare “Black Panther’s” reception to some of the more critically acclaimed superhero movies. One of the key reasons the Best Picture field expanded to up to 10 nominees after a jawdropping snub? Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” earned an 82. Best Adapted Screenplay nominee “Logan”? A 77. PGA and WGA nominee “Deadpool”? A 65. Cultural zeitgeist “Wonder Woman”? A 76. And the highest Marvel Studios film before “Panther”? “Thor: Ragarok” at 74. Needless to say “Black Panther” has not landed with critics like your typical superhero movie.
Daniel Kaluuya on that “Get Out” Oscar nomination and “Black Panther”
Granted, after all the accolades “Panther” is still a Marvel movie and the Academy, in particular, will see it as such. There has been no costumed hero film of this particular kind that has ever come close to earning the Academy’s top recognition. And, an increasingly diverse membership or not, there will be many members adverse to voting it into the Best Picture club. That being said, only a specific number of first place votes are needed to earn a Best Picture nomination. If Marvel and Disney can wage a significant campaign that shouldn’t be a problem (Although it’s ignorant to ignore the fact that the reception to “Avengers: Infinity War,” which includes Black Panther as a central character, could diminish it’s standing. We’re slightly convinced “Justice League” hurt “Wonder Woman” with the guilds). Again, first place votes are all they need and the Marvel Studios “family” has grown so big it now counts at least 100 Academy members in its midst. That’s a great place to start.
Disney can also look Universal’s playbook for “Get Out.” The studio did an absolutely superb job with both its phase one and (likely) phase two campaigns a movie that also arrived in theaters in February and wasn’t originally seen as a Best Picture player. Would a sneak at Sundance, where Coogler first made his name, have helped provide some necessary prestige? It certainly was a huge boon to Jordan Peele‘s breakthrough, but that’s in the past. At this point, Disney and Marvel’s award strategy will need to focus on the reviews and, like “Wonder Woman,” it’s cultural relevance both here and abroad. That’s a story that will continue unfold in the weeks to come, but the studios planning and strategy will need to be sound even before the traditional campaign kick off just six months from now.
Obviously, there may also be snags along the way. The rest of the 2019 awards season forecast is unclear and the Academy and guilds may be swayed by other players that enter the mix. But nominations in other categories are also likely thanks to the Oscar accomplishments of “The Dark Knight,” “District 9,” “Logan” and others. Let’s review, shall we?
Why this shameless over the top promotion for the superhero shit?? Just because black people are in it?????????????
You’ve answered your question. So every over hyped production that lucks out with the big ticket sales translates to Oscar talk now ? Come -ON ! Sheesh … K-Pow, Nuff Said !
List of Superhero movies/shorts that has been nominated or won Oscars.
1. The Mark of Zorro (1940)
Nominated: Best Music, Original Score; Alfred Newman
2. Superman (1941)
Nominated: Best Animated Short Subject; Max Fleischer
3. Superman (1978)
Won: Special Achievement Award: Les Bowie, Colin Chilvers, Denys N. Coop, Roy Field, Derek Meddings and Zoran Perisic: For visual effects.
Nominated: Best Sound: Gordon K. McCallum, Graham V. Hartstone, Nicolas Le Messurier and Roy Charman.
Best Film Editing: Stuart Baird.
Best Music, Original Score: John Williams
4. Batman (1989)
Won: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Anton Furst and Peter Young
5. Batman Returns (1992)
Nominated: Best Effects, Visual Effects: Michael L. Fink, Craig Barron, John Bruno, and Dennis Skotak.
Best Makeup, Ve Neill, Ronnie Specter and Stan Winston.
6. The Mask (1994)
Nominated: Best Effects, Visual Effects: Scott Squires, Steve ‘Spaz’ Williams, Tom Bertino and Jon Farhat.
7. Batman Forever (1995)
Nominated: Best Cinematography: Stephen Goldblatt.
Best Sound: Donald O. Mitchell, Frank A. Montaño, Michael Herbick and Petur Hliddal.
Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing: John Leveque and Bruce Stambler.
8. Men in Black (1997)
Won: Best Makeup: Rick Baker and David LeRoy Anderson.
Nominated: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration: Bo Welch (art director) and Cheryl Carasik (set decorator).
Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score: Danny Elfman.
9. The Mask of Zorro (1998)
Nominated: Best Sound: Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Pud Cusack. Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing: Dave McMoyler.
10. Spider-Man (2002)
Nominated: Best Sound: Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Ed Novick.
Best Visual Effects: John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara and John Frazier.
11. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Won: Best Achievement in Visual Effects: John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara and John Frazier.
Nominated: Best Achievement in Sound Mixing: Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell, Jeffrey J. Haboush, Joseph Geisinger.
Best Achievement in Sound Editing: Paul N.J. Ottosson.
12. The Incredibles (2004)
Won: Best Animated Feature Film of the Year: Brad Bird.
Won: Best Achievement in Sound Editing: Michael Silvers and Randy Thom.
Nominated: Best Writing, Original Screenplay: Brad Bird.
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing: Randy Thom, Gary Rizzo and Doc Kane.
13. Batman Begins (2005)
Nominated: Best Achievement in Cinematography: Wally Pfister.
14. Superman Returns (2006)
Nominated: Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Mark Stetson, Neil Corbould, Richard R. Hoover and Jon Thum.
15. Iron Man (2008)
Nominated: Best Achievement in Sound Editing: Frank E. Eulner, Christopher Boyes.
Best Achievement in Visual Effects: John Nelson, Ben Snow, Daniel Sudick and Shane Mahan.
16. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Nominated: Best Achievement in Makeup: Mike Elizalde and Thomas Floutz.
17. The Dark Knight (2008)
Won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger (Posthumously. The award was accepted by his father, mother and sister.)
Won: Best Achievement in Sound Editing: Richard King.
Nominated: Best Achievement in Cinematography: Wally Pfister.
Best Achievement in Film Editing: Lee Smith. Best Achievement in Art Direction: Nathan Crowley (art director) and Peter Lando (set decorator).
Best Achievement in Makeup: John Caglione Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan.
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing: Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick. Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul J. Franklin.
18. Iron Man 2 (2010)
Nominated: Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick.
19. The Avengers (2012)
Nominated: Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Daniel Sudick.
20. Iron Man 3 (2013)
Nominated: Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash and Daniel Sudick.
21. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Nominated: Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Dan Deleeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill and Daniel Sudick.
22. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Nominated: Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie and Cameron Waldbauer.
23. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Nominated: Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling: Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou and David White. Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner and Paul Corbould.
24. Big Hero 6 (2014)
Won: Best Animated Feature Film of the Year: Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli.
25. Sanjay’s Super Team (2015)
Nominated: Best Animated Short: Nicole Paradis Grindle and Sanjay Patel.
26. Suicide Squad (2016)
Won: Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini, and Christopher Nelson.
27. Doctor Strange (2016)
Nominated: Best Special Effects: Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli, and Paul Corbould.
28. Logan (2017)
Nominated: Best Adapted Screenplay: Scott Frank, James Mangold, Michael Green
29. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Nominated: Best Special Effects: Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, Daniel Sudick
Just because white people are in it????
I agree with David. Another year, another scenario. Last year, because it was female driven, Wonder Woman: Oscar talk. Aaaahhhhh, nothing. This year, because black people are in it, Black Panther: Oscar talk. And i am sure that when next oscar season comes around, aaaaahhhh nothing. A lot of it is hype and in the end i am sure that the uppity people in the academy are probably looking at us all and saying, “yyyeah, no”. I guess at most a nomination (like all the hype with Get Out) but Get Out will go 0 for whatever as will Black Panther if nominated, remember uppity people in the academy. And in conclusion, Black Panther was phenomenal, but isnt the best super hero movie ever and if other super hero movies aren’t winning best picture, than this shouldnt. I think Civil War was a better movie as was Avengers 1. And i SERIOUSLY do NOT see a scenario where Black Panther is a better picture than Infinity War. Is that gonna get Oscar talk? There ARE black people in it, soooo
Haha – thats funny
I’d like for it to happen. But it probably Won’t. Plain and simple.