ST Why TFA might get an Oscar nomination for Best Picture....

While looking over the box office numbers and considering the fact that it has beaten Avatar as the biggest grossing film of all time domestically, I came to an interesting realization that I've never seen anyone point out before. Trust me, this leads into The Force Awakens and it's Oscar potential.

Let's take a look at all of the films that have held the title as "biggest grossing movie of all time" since the Oscars began in 1927.

Gone With The Wind, the first film to take the title of "biggest grossing film of all time" after the Oscars originated, released in 1939 and won the Academy Award for Best Picture. GWTW held that title until 1965 when The Sound of Music took over that title, which also won the Oscar for Best Picture to boot. Jaws was the next film to claim the title of #1 film of all time, and it too was Oscar nominated for Best Picture. Just two years later the original Star Wars famously claimed the title, and also was nominated for Best Picture. E.T. became the biggest earner 5 years later in '82 and also was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Yep, we have a pattern evolving here. Star Wars retook the title in 1997 due to the Special Edition release but just a year later Titanic won the "biggest grossing film" title along with the Best Picture Oscar. 12 years later Avatar earned the #1 title along with an Oscar nom for Best Picture in 2009.

I'm kind of surprised that I've never seen anyone mention this before, but I find it fascinating that in the whole era of the Oscars since 1927, every single film to earn the title of "Biggest grossing film of all time" has earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.

And here's the other factor worth considering: after The Dark Knight failed to gain a Best Picture nom in 2008 (which many critics placed among the best films of the year), the Oscars changed their decades-long tradition of nominating just 5 films per year up to 10, so as to better allow more popular mainstream films to enter the Oscar race. That has allowed such popular mainstream films as District 9, Toy Story 3, Gravity and yes even Avatar to be nominated for Best Picture. The Oscars seem to have a tradition of nominating the biggest blockbuster of all time for Best Picture. And The Force Awakens has just taken that top spot. And the field was widened to 10 films to allow more popular films to enter the race. Now, I'm not saying an Oscar nomination for Best Picture is guaranteed by any means, but with an Oscar tradition of nominating each film to earn the top title and a field that can grow up to 10 films, I think The Force Awakens has a better than average chance of being one of the Best Picture nominees come Oscar time. Any thoughts one way or another?

 

I don't think it'll win Best Picture, but Daisy Ridley has a shot at Best Actress.

 

My goodness...if Avatar got the nod for best pic, TFA has a great chance

 

Commercial films jockeying for spots alongside dramas and indies is becoming a more common phenomenon. TFA has a shot because of its massive gross, but it also is contending with an unfortunate launch timeframe. Voting for the Academy ends today,, meaning that the film hasn't had a lot of time to assert itself in the minds of voters.

Of course,it's Star Wars, and it's making a ton of money, so anything is possible at this point. I would be surprised to see it garner any other awards, though. Not because of pretentious opinion, but simply because it has a lot of competition from the Oscar baity movies released this year.

 

Truthfully it should win multiple Oscars. If not only for it being such a big event and having the impact it did on cinemas this year. What other movie achieved the hype TFA got? For that alone, TFA should win Best Picture. It'd also shake up the otherwise boring ceremony of the winners always being the small indie films no one ever sees or talks about. And Ford should at least get a nomination for Supporting Actor. With this bring his last time as Han, and how iconic the character is, and on top of that Harrison did an amazing job here, they should acknowledge it. But of course they won't, and instead as usual all the big awards will go to the usual, predictable films about AIDS patients and transvestites, to name a few. How about the Academy look at the general public at what movies interested them and deserve to be honored?

 

For the record I don't think TFA has any legitimate chance at all of actually winning the Oscar for Best Picture. I think that if it gets just a Best Picture nomination, to the Academy the nomination is its reward. But I opened up this topic because I'm curious to see who thinks the Academy might nominate it for Best Picture or not. I do think that the Oscars' history with the highest grossing films throughout the decades speaks for TFA's chances for a Best Picture nom, but I'd like to hear what everyone else thinks. Feel free to comment.

 

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending what camp you belong to), the Academy Awards are just what their name implies: a set of awards given by the Academy for excellence in film production. It's not the People's Choice Awards or a be-all-end-all decider of cinematic success or cultural impact. Given Star Wars's established reputation and the overall success of the film, it stands a chance at a nomination (as I mentioned above). To claim that it's objectively"better" than "films about AIDS patients and transvestites" simply due to its pop culture appeal and box office gross is a stretch. On what criteria are you basing the opinion? Saying that you (and others) like it better than other films isn't enough. I'm not saying whether or not i think it should or will win. But, if arguing this point, you have to understand a) what award ceremony you're petitioning and b) that passion for a franchise, pop culture appeal, and box office gross traditionally have nothing to do with who wins the honor of Best Picture.

 

And that is why year after year the Oscars ratings keep dropping and no one really cares anymore. As proven by critics and fans, TFA was an amazing film, with most of its reviews being positive and actually out scoring most Oscar bait films. So I'm not just saying it should win off pop culture and box office alone. But its impact should not be ignored by the Academy. Again, how many other movies had news stations at theaters reporting on it? None.

 

I think there's a reasonable chance it'll sneak in to the up to 10 films that can be nominated for Best Picture. It won't win, but I could see a nom.

It'll also get nominated in a lot of technical/production design categories and probably WILL win a few of those, but those generally don't garner much in the way of "Bragging rights" unless it's in one of the "major" categories. At best it's a buried blurb like "Oscar-Winning special effects!" in the summary on the back of the Blu-Ray.

 

i don't see it... at all, even a nom

 

Give it a nomination at least. It reminded the world that going to the cinema is an experience which is a great accomplishment

 

I could see TFA being nominated but not winning. Daisy Ridley has a shot at best actress. Harrison Ford has a shot, but would be considered a supporting actor or lead? He did get top billing, but he didn't have the screen time of a traditional leading man.

I'd like to see BB-8 up for a supporting nod. Kid has talent.

 

It'll probably have some technical category nominations. Maybe a Best Picture nom but I don't think it would ever actually win. And while I enjoyed all the acting, I would be surprised if anyone received an acting nomination.

 

Yeah, I'm with you on this one. Ridley was good, but "these kinds" of movies virtually never get acting nods.

 

Also, maybe saying this is going to make me into the bad guy here, but I don't think any of them delivered Oscar-worthy performances. Are they capable of delivering Oscar-worthy performances? Sure, I think a few could. But the content here wasn't written to incite that kind of nomination.

 

An Oscar for best picture? I don't think so. Star Wars is a popcorn film. It's a fan pleaser, but then again how many commercial films have garnered real oscar attention? The last blockbuster to win best picture was LoTR: Return of the King and as much as I like TFA, I don't see it following suit. It's not how the Academy rolls. Heath Ledger probably wouldn't have been nominated (or won) for his role as the Joker either save for his unfortunate passing prior to the Oscars themselves. The Oscars focus on the artistry of film rather than commercial success and while some blockbusters have merit as cinematic works, the Academy seems to be somewhat cautious when it comes to handing out nominations for these sorts of films. TFA is a good, fun film but it isn't what I'd call Oscar material

 

I have no idea why people even care about the Oscars. They have given "Best Picture" to quite a few movies that are basically dreck

 

If you're a baddie, so am I. Oscar Isaac is the one of the newbies I am most familiar with and compared to other work he's done he really wasn't flexing all his acting muscles by any stretch. Poe is charming and amusing but compared to Nathan Bateman from Ex Machina it's a pretty superficial performance. John Boyega and Daisy Ridley are just too new to get noms on their first big roles as well I think. Harrison Ford has the best shot of anyone not because of his performance but because it was the last hurrah of an iconic character and Ford himself is probably winding down his career. A nomination as a reward for that isn't unthinkable.

 

im delighted to say it wont 'win' any razzie awards at all!

 

I don't see any nominations in the picture, directing, writing and acting categories.

Technical nominations only.

 

10 nominations in the best picture category. dont see it being out of the question.

i've heard 'mad max' being pushed for it so why not TFA?

 

I'm not against it. I'm just saying I won't be shocked if it's excluded. I would be pleasantly surprised if it is included.

 

yup. i mean only the original has ever gotten any of the real nods (picture, director, acting)

 

If Mad Max doesn't win anything it will be a real shame. That was one of the best action movies ever made and a great example of the visceral thrill cinema can provide

 

I think it may get a nomination for visual effects, original score even... but certainly nothing more than that. I don't believe the film warrants it to be honest. And whilst the lack of awards/nominations shouldn't be seen as evidence of it being underserving, I actually think there's better films within the same genre e.g. Fury Road, The Martian, Ex Machina etc... and they are viewed as 'more deserving' within the industry IMO.