The State of the Oscars Race

 


While it may be a while until the awards ceremony itself, the race for the 95th annual Academy Awards is already a priority for many films and releases across the spectrum. As the race heats up, where are we standing currently? Entertainment attorney Brandon Blake, from Blake & Wang P.A, walks us through current thoughts.

Will Best Picture be about Blockbusters?

No one can deny that the summer Box Office was one packed with blockbusters, and it’s inevitable that this will be reflected by the Best Picture category for this year. From the surprising success of indie-leaning Elvis and Everything Everywhere All at Once to the booming success of Top Gun: Maverick and the expected traction for the upcoming Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Avatar: The Way of Water, it’s been a fertile year. Even with the expanded Best Picture category, it’s going to be tough to pick out. We’ve had films hit highest grossing film benchmarks. We’ve seen spectacular storytelling. And we’ve seen massive popularity. For now, what the determining benchmark will be is still up in the air, but it’s going to be an interesting one.

Other Notable Categories

Nor will this be the only interesting category this year. There’s a fiercely strong animation slate that could see Pixar regain some prominence, with two strong contenders to field. And the renewed vigor of the film festival slate this year has brought some staggering contenders for the international film slate to the table, too. Sundance brought us both Utama and Girl Picture. And, honestly, while crossing into the Best Picture category likely won’t become a norm for international submissions, there’s a few that might make a Parasite-like jump to Best Picture, too.


Of course, we’re not at the wire yet for submissions, either. Voting for this year’s Oscars will take place between January 12th and 17th, 2023, with official nominations announced on January 24th, 2023. The broadcast will take place on Sunday, March 12th, and is currently set for live broadcast and an in-person ceremony, another nice return to normal we’re glad to see.

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