Until then, well-regarded blockbusters like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark weren’t able to win the big one.
Because it speaks to a number of prejudices that Academy members are assumed to have against a movie like Wicked: It’s too childish.
But there’s no denying that Wicked has a lot going for it in its bid to win best picture.
Academy members don’t just like Wicked — they love Wicked.
Wicked could end up being too big and splashy and divisive for its own good, resulting in a smaller film winning.
It was a historic moment when The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won all 11 Academy Awards, including best picture. Indeed, it was the largest Oscar sweep in history. However, with its own toy line, it was also likely the first best picture winner.
Up until that point, highly acclaimed blockbusters like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars failed to win the major award. Despite admirable efforts by Black Panther, both Avatars, and Barbie (the only best-picture nominee that is based on a toy line), it hasn’t happened since LOTR.
However, the winner of this year’s best picture might finally signal the return of profit-driven cinema.
It might be nominated for a picture, but not Dune: Part Two. To go all the way, I’m talking about the Jon M. Chu musical Wicked, which is about misunderstood witches and talking animals. Given that the Mattel toys included a… extremely regrettable misprint on the packaging. Avoid searching “Wicked . com” around kids at all costs. ).
Why the obsession with toys? A number of preconceptions that Academy members are presumed to hold against a film such as Wicked include the following: It’s too juvenile. Too trivial. Too marketed. The plastic is too big.
That might be the reason the film doesn’t have a chance to be considered for an Oscar. Wicked placed 18th overall in its best picture chances according to a recent Los Angeles Times survey of award insiders; however, three-quarters of those surveyed did not mention the film at all. This survey was conducted prior to the film’s eventual success. Scott Feinberg, the Hollywood Reporter’s own Wizard of Odds, gave it a much more upbeat ranking of sixth out of ten.
Nevertheless, a week after its premiere, Wicked is beginning to establish itself as a strong candidate. Elphaba isn’t quite taking off with the statuette in her hand just yet. However, there is no doubting that Wicked has a strong case for winning best picture.
First, let’s address the obvious. Members of the Academy adore Wicked, not just like it. Capacity audiences erupted in cheers following numerous songs at the Directors Guild, PGA, and SAG screenings in Los Angeles and New York, as well as at the Academy screening, which included a thunderous standing ovation following the suspenseful conclusion.
Guild members are accustomed to giving standing ovations, as they did for Oppenheimer when Christopher Nolan appeared for his Q&A last year. However, those present claim that Wicked’s effusiveness has been exceptional.
Those grosses come next. We just finished a cinematic event that was almost extinct — i.e. E. small, streaming-friendly movies like CODA and Nomadland won best picture during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, some voters in the post-plague era appear to be ravenous for spectacle. Oppenheimer was the ideal combination of IMAX-sized visuals and serious subject matter last year; it was a billion-dollar film that the Academy could be proud to show off and declare, “This is the cinematic gold standard.”. For Wicked, that is encouraging.
In order to demonstrate that Wicked can compete on the substance front, Universal and its consultants will capitalize on the film’s darker and politically relevant themes, even though critics and activists for other movies will point out that it is unquestionably less serious than Oppenheimer.
In actuality, the movie has political undertones. Gregory Maguire wrote the best-selling book during Operation Desert Storm in 1990 after seeing the headline, “Saddam Hussein: The Next Hitler?” Maguire imagined a dystopian Oz in which the Wizard is a fascist tyrant.
When Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman collaborated to turn the book into a musical a few years later, George W. In power, Bush was pounding the drums of war before a U.S. S. . Iraq invasion. Throughout the script, Holzman and Schwartz included references to concepts such as “regime change” (the way Glinda describes the house falling on the Wicked Witch of the East).
Who the Wizard is supposed to evoke in 2024 cannot be questioned. Even though Universal had no intention of the movie opening a few weeks after Donald Trump’s election, it has happened. If there’s one thing that could bring together a lot of the diverse and dispersed Academy voters at this time, it’s post-election depression and a desire for change. They might arrive at the Emerald City as a result. If your vote for president didn’t count, you’re going to make it count for Wicked, according to at least one voter. “.”.
Naturally, Wicked will have to avoid buckets of water along the way. One is the preferential voting system, which asks voters to rank their top picks for the film and has typically allowed smaller films, like Moonlight, which are likely to be well-liked, to win the major award. A smaller film might win because Wicked is too big, ostentatious, and contentious for its own good.
Additionally, the movie is the first in a two-part series. Voters may decide to postpone celebrating Chu’s accomplishment until after the second movie’s premiere, giving the whole picture a single best picture award. In the end, that is what happened with Return of the King: Although all three of Peter Jackson’s fantasy epic’s chapters were nominated for best picture, only the last one took home the prize, as voters essentially rewarded the canon.
However, there are advantages to the Wicked case. Given that this year’s Oscars follow the devastation caused by COVID-19, the SAG and WGA strikes, and the looming threat of streaming and artificial intelligence, many Hollywood employees may vote for a humane (and human-made) blockbuster that upholds the established studio system.
To put it another way, it might only be a few months before we declare, “Mattel’s Glinda and Elphaba Poseable Fashion Dolls, it’s time to make room for Oscar.”. “.”.
