‘Black Panther’ hunting for Oscar
The motion picture academy has complicated matters, however, adding a new award for best popular film earlier this month
“The people behind the movie did tremendous work. And it’s always nice when such work is recognised.”
KEVIN FEIGE | President, Marvel Studios
When the Academy Awards were held the first weekend of March, Black
Panther was dominating both the box office and cultural conversation in its third week in theatres. The Marvel movie loomed large at the Oscars as well — cast members were greeted with cheers on the red carpet and host Jimmy Kimmel mentioned it twice during his opening monologue. (“Imagine a country with a black leader. Wouldn’t that be swell?”) Black Panther wouldn’t be eligible for the Oscars for another year, but many in Hollywood already believed it could capitalise on that remarkable reception to become the first superhero movie ever nominated for best picture.
The title became a prime “get” for awards consultants. Disney ended up hiring veteran Oscar strategist Cynthia Swartz to orchestrate a campaign, with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige backing the move with a significant awards season budget, a commitment Marvel has never before made.
Since then, the motion picture academy has complicated matters, adding a new Oscar for best popular film. The academy has yet to reveal any details about the criteria for the category, but, safe to say, it appears designed to reward blockbusters like Black Panther, which became the third highest grossing movie ever in the US and brought in $1.35 billion (Dh4.95 billion) worldwide.
If the bonus popular film category ends up being awarded in 2019, Black
Panther could find itself nominated for two types of best picture Oscars — or none at all.
“Right now, I think [academy Chief Executive] Dawn Hudson would crawl in a hole if Black
Panther gets snubbed for best picture and winds up landing in the popular film category,” notes one Oscar consultant. “The funny thing is that Dawn would be way more disappointed than anyone at Marvel.”
But the surprise addition
of a new Oscar category has not changed Disney’s best picture plans for Black Panther in any way, a studio spokesperson confirmed to The Times.
The Oscar campaign strategy, as illuminated by Feige in an interview, remains focused on the film’s creative accomplishments and the global impact it made.
“I would like to see the hard work and the effort and the vision and the belief of the talented filmmaker Ryan Coogler, who sat across the table from us a few years ago and said, ‘I have been wrestling with questions about my past and my heritage and I think I really want to tell a story within this movie,’” Feige said. “That he did it so unbelievably well and with so much impact ... seeing that potentially being recognised is what excites me the most.”
Nevertheless, when it comes to best picture, Feige remains hopeful.
“I think it would be wonderful,” he says of a potential nomination in the Oscars’ top category. “The people behind the movie did tremendous work. And it’s always nice when work is recognised.”