Yes, we're working on the Oscar charts...

Wednesday, July 21, 2021 at 9:36AM
NATHANIEL R in Oscars (21), Punditry

For those of you who have been asking. Yes, the Oscar charts will go up soon with first predictions of the year. I'll confess right up front that this year is mighty confusing. That's partially because we're still in pandemic mode and a lot of the big studios are playing it coy about release dates and there are surely numerous sales still to happen. One assumes the studios are all watching each week's box office reports and other much more vague indicators (like streaming numbers which are rarely public and always unverifiable even when they are) to decide on the best way forward in this tough time for the industry. 

Another reason this year feels confusing is that A24 has a truckload of promising films but very few with actual release dates (and they've been known to really only focus on one once things heat up). Meanwhile MGM/UA, not usually a big player, has multiple promising titles...

Apple TV+ has a potential sleeper success which was big at Sundance but they've still got that "TV" problem in their name that is going to make it hard to make Oscar inroads even though it's basically the same business model as Amazon and Netflix. Speaking of... Netflix, which has been growing in Oscar strength, doesn't feel as formidable this year but that could change rapidly. Paramount and Universal and Fox (now redubbed 20th Century) used to be intermittently big players but their release schedules are depressingly sparse.

Do you see any films missing from the following list that you're hopeful about... (This is just a cheat sheet to keep track as we work on the charts.)

Key films from various distributors though Oscar fates will depend on reviews, what the studio focuses on in campaigning, and actual release dates (several of these films don't yet have them)
A24 After Yang • God's Creatures • Green Knight • Humans • Red Rocket • Showing Up • Tragedy of Macbeth • The Whale • Zola	Amazon Annette • Being the Ricardos • Everybody's Talking about Jamie • A Hero • Val	Apple TV+ CODA • Finch	Bleecker Street Mass	Disney Cruella • Encanto • Eternals • Luca • Ron's Gone Wrong • Shang-Chi
Focus Belfast • Blue Bayou • Card Counter • Last Nght in Soho • Stillwater	IFC Films Benedetta • Bergman Island	MGM/UA Cyrano • Flag Day • House of Gucci • No Time to Die • Respect • Soggy Bottom	Neon Memoria • Pig • Spencer • Titane • Worst Person in the World	Netflix Blonde • Don't Look Up • Mitchells vs Machines • Passing • Power of the Dog • Untitled Fingscheidt/Bullock
Paramount A Quiet Place 2 • Top Gun Maverick	Searchlight Eyes of Tammy Faye • French Dispatch • Next Goal Wins • Nightmare Alley	Sony Journal for Jordan • Spider-Man: No Way Home	SPC Carmen • Compartment No 6 • The Duke • Jockey • Mothering Sunday • Nine Days • Parallel Mothers	20th Century The Last Duel • West Side Story
Universal Dear Evan Hansen	Warner Bros Cry Macho • Dune • In the Heights • King Richard • Many Saints of Newark • The Matrix 4		Distribution ??? Electrical Life of Louis Wain • Nitram	Not Until Early 2022 so Next Year's Race Bullet Train • Deep Water • Doctor Strange  • Downton Abbey  • Mrs Harris Goes to Paris • The Northman

Article originally appeared on The Film Experience (http://thefilmexperience.net/).