Spider-Man: No Way Home’s 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes makes it the best-reviewed live-action Spidey flick in the 19-year history of the franchise, and not solely on account of its action set pieces or fan service. Critics have praised everything from the film’s emotional arc to the performances of its lead actors. Now, the producers are hoping that Oscar voters feel the same way. As the movie continues to shatter one box officer record after another, Sony and Marvel (via The Hollywood Reporter) are officially launching a campaign for No Way Home to receive a Best Picture nod at next year’s Academy Awards ceremony.
The Academy rarely nominates comic book adaptations for anything other than technical categories, but a Best Picture nod isn’t without precedent. In 2019, Black Panther became the first superhero movie to be recognized in this category at the 91st annual ceremony. It ultimately lost the race to Green Book. However, the film still took home Oscars for Original Score, Production Design, and Costume Design.
As of this week, No Way Home has already made the Oscar shortlists for visual effects and sound nominations. But a shot at the grand prize is a completely different beast, especially when the film would be competing against other surefire contenders like Belfast and Licorice Pizza. Regardless, producer Amy Pascal and Sony chairman Tom Rothman have their own experience with mounting successful Oscar campaigns. And they are both willing to roll the dice on this one.
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“Just because they’re a certain kind of genre doesn’t mean they’re not quality movies,” said Pascal. “We all got in this business to make movies that people want to see, that make people feel things, and I think this movie legitimately does that.”
“Quality commerciality is really hard to do,” added Rothman. “No Way Home is superb filmmaking. And this is what the Academy needs to stay connected to… I love art films! I think it’s fabulous that art films are now recognized [at the Oscars] to the degree that they are — but not to the exclusion of quality commercial cinema. We have to overcome, weirdly, the prejudice against the fact that it’s a big hit.”
The 94th Academy Awards will air on March 27, 2022. Spider-Man: No Way Home is now playing in theaters everywhere.
Do you think the film has a shot at getting a Best Picture nomination? Let us know in the comments down below!
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