Early Oscar Preview? CinemaCon and Cannes Launch Season

It has solely been one month for the reason that 96th Academy Awards ended, however this week it appears to be like just like the race for the 97th has (un)formally begun. Say what???

Regardless that Emmy season is in full power (Deadline’s 2-day Contenders Tv dwell and streamed occasion takes place this weekend), it could possibly by no means be too early to start out a brand new Oscar season and that’s the reason I travelled to Las Vegas this week squeezing in CinemaCon – that film orgy conference of what studios have in retailer for us – in between final Sunday’s roaring Bruce Springsteen live performance on the Discussion board and final night time’s rocking “Hold The Get together Going: Jimmy Buffet Tribute” on the Hollywood Bowl. By the best way I noticed extra Hollywood heavyweights within the bins there on Thursday night time than even at CinemaCon together with Ted Sarandos, David Zaslav, Jennifer Salke to call a couple of, and every kind of stars from Jane Fonda to Woody Harrelson to Harrison Ford (sure, whereas his look within the new Captain America film was being touted by Disney at CinemaCon in his absence) introducing legends like Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow and numerous others doing musical tributes to the late nice Buffet. However again to Oscars.

Not solely was CinemaCon happening this week, however within the midst of it the lineup for the Cannes Movie Pageant in Could was introduced. And simply so as to add a cherry on prime, the Academy made it official that the 97th Annual Academy Awards will happen on Sunday March 2nd. All that’s ok for me to start out the hypothesis.

Contemplate only a yr in the past at CinemaCon we noticed the beginnings of the campaigns for the likes of eventual Finest Image winner Oppenheimer with Christopher Nolan main the Common presentation no much less; Plus eventual nominees like Barbie, Killers Of The Flower Moon, The Holdovers and extra being showcased to theatre house owners and press. And at about the identical time Cannes was saying a lineup that included eventual Finest Image nominees just like the aforementioned Killers Of The Flower Moon, Anatomy Of A Fall, and The Zone Of Curiosity. All of this represented some kind of sea change within the widespread knowledge that Oscar season doesn’t actually begin till the Fall Festivals kick off, with perhaps a comfortable begin at Cannes some years (like 2019 when each Parasite and As soon as Upon A Time In Hollywood). Now it appears yr spherical. No relaxation for the weary.

I all the time make it some extent to go to CinemaCon to see what I can see and perhaps get a couple of early clues as to what this season would appear to be. Even Academy CEO Invoice Kramer was available in Vegas this week, telling me that although final yr was a barn burner when it comes to actually good motion pictures competing on the Oscars, he has excessive hopes for this yr. The nice majority of films showcased within the numerous studio displays are squarely aimed toward impressing theatre house owners with their potential boxoffice muscle, and which means there was numerous sequels, reboots, horror, and animation on show. Though the time period “Barbenheimer” was thrown round to remind everybody that originals can actually ignite moviegoing pleasure and money, in addition to vital reward and awards, the emphasis was on the tried or true.

So inside these perimiters I’d say the takeaway from CinemaCon when it comes to Oscar potential was bringing again what has labored with Academy members up to now. At Warner Bros “The Huge Image” on Tuesday, the success of Dune 2 was emphasised and you’ll wager that March launch will determine into their Oscar plans, particularly contemplating that 2021’s Dune racked up quite a few nominations and 6 crafts wins.

Warners additionally bigly touted George Miller’s newest Mad Max epic, Furioso, which like Mad Max: Fury Street will premiere at Cannes, and appears to have the products to make a mark at Oscars the place Fury Street racked up 10 nominations together with Finest Image and Director, and took 6 crafts wins. Kevin Costner was available to speak his formidable western epic(s), Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 , additionally headed to Cannes, and slated for launch in 2 components, the primary installment in June, and the second in August. Two extra nonetheless unfilmed components are additionally deliberate. Does it have Oscar potential? We are going to see, however Costner already has two Oscars at dwelling for his 1990 Finest Image/Director wins for an additional western-flavored epic, Dances With Wolves so don’t depend it out.

The opposite clear Warners hope on the Oscars would appear to be Todd Phillips followup to his 2019 vital and boxoffice smash, Joker which racked up 11 nominations and introduced Joaquin Phoenix a Finest Actor statuette. This one, Joker: Folie a Deux groups Phoenix with Girl Gaga in a musical fantasia that appears like a cross between Joker and La La Land. The trailer was set to the music of Burt Bacharach’s “What The World Wants Now Is Love” , and we’ll see if what the world wants now’s one other Joker, however this one appears to be like to interrupt the identical type of guidelines that Phillips did with the primary one and appears ripe for some extra Oscar love based mostly on what I noticed.

Common is coming off an virtually inconceivable feat final yr of being primary worldwide on the boxoffice and in addition sweeping the Oscars with Oppenheimer. How do you observe that? It appears to be like like they could have achieved it with the movie they saved for the shut of their presentation at CinemaCon, Depraved. That is director Jon Chu’s long-awaited film adaptation of the enduring and nonetheless operating Broadway musical origin story of The Wizard Of Oz. The studio stated they had been going large with this, and boy have they ever by splitting it into two components, with half one coming at Thanksgiving and looking out presumably to return in at 2 and a half hours (Chu informed me he hasn’t but figured that out with each longer and shorter cuts nonetheless being checked out). There is no such thing as a query it has the crafts that may have nice Oscar enchantment, however can it even be a type of large Broadway transfers to go all the best way to Finest Image like West Aspect Story, My Truthful Girl, The Sound Of Music, Oliver, Chicago? Time will inform, however not like these movies the Oscar voters will simply be Half One (the second half deliberate for 2025 vacation season), so ala Lord Of The Rings trilogy will they wish to wait? Sources on the studio aren’t but figuring out the course of the marketing campaign and wish to see the response to the movie as to the place it could be headed within the awards scheme of issues. Plenty of potential for this one.

Primarily based on what I noticed animation-wise I feel Common and Dreamworks have an actual Oscar participant in The Wild Robotic. This one clearly has all the weather, and one prime studio govt informed me he cried all over the final hour. I haven’t seen the entire movie but after all, however I can’t think about, based mostly on this presentation, that The Wild Robotic gained’t be a participant. And as a part of Common’s total presentation, there was specialty label Focus Options exhibiting off a quartet of promising movies, most notably for me All Quiet On The Western Entrance director Edward Berger’s new Vatican thriller, Conclave which seemed wealthy from the footage proven, however I’m informed by at the very least one Focus govt is even higher than that footage signifies. It seems Berger who gained the Worldwide Movie Oscar for All Quiet (additionally a Finest Image nominee) could possibly be again within the race.

Focus additionally has the Christmas Day launch of the newest gothic telling of Nosferatu from director Robert Eggers which appears to be like appropriately gory to the intense, however nonetheless intriguing. Manufacturing values look lush, one thing Oscar voters love. In addition they have the delayed Jeff Nichols biker movie, The Bikeriders, which Disney and twentieth Century had arrange for final awards season, even premiering at Telluride, however the SAG strike took its toll, the movie misplaced its December launch date and Oscar marketing campaign, and it moved to Focus. A June launch will inform the story if it could possibly revive any awards mojo, and it has a fantastic solid with Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer, and Mike Faist (whose star may rise within the meantime with the upcoming momentary launch of Challengers). And would possibly there be some Finest Actress buzz for Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse in Focus’ Again To Black ? They confirmed footage at CinemaCon and the movie has opened to good evaluations within the UK. Oscar voters are suckers for actors enjoying musical icons.

Paramount, based mostly on the footage, has one actual contender with Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II, the lengthy awaited followup to his 2000 Finest Image winner, this time with Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal and others. It seemed wonderful, and Scott (on tape) stated it would even be higher than the primary. Definitely Paramount’s energetic presentation that opened with a march of a number of gladiators carrying a chariot with “gladiator” and Paramount Distribution President Chris Aronson into the Caesars Palace Colosseum Theatre couldn’t have set the desk for this in a greater means. Scott, by the best way, has by no means personally gained an Oscar, and there’s precedent for a sequel to a Finest Image winner additionally profitable Finest Image. The Godfather Half II anybody?

Over at Disney, it appears to be like like their most reasonable Oscar hopes would possibly lie additionally with sequels, animated sequels to, significantly, Inside Out 2 which noticed Disney exhibiting off the primary 35 minutes of the Pixar ‘toon to reportedly nice response (I missed this remaining presentation of the week sadly). They’ve hopes for Moana 2 as nicely, and even trotted out star Dwayne Johnson to pump up the group for it. Regardless of new Deadpools, Captain Americas, Aliens,and Apes, the studio’s Finest Image hopes in all probability lie with Searchlight once more, as their Poor Issues (winner of 4 Oscars) crew of director Yorgas Lathimos and now 2-time Finest Actress winner Emma Stone are immediately reteamed in what is known as a Triptych fable, Varieties Of Kindness which can also be headed to Cannes. And I can vouch for Sundance debut, A Actual Ache starring and directed by Jesse Eisenberg and that includes an awards worthy efficiency from Kieran Culkin. It’s terrific and could possibly be a sleeper this season. Disney additionally has an actress risk with Daisy Ridley in Younger Girl And The Sea during which she performs the primary girl to ever swim the English Channel. Contemplating Annette Bening was simply nominated for doing related feats within the water in Nyad, don’t doubt voters like seeing contenders get all moist. And do not forget that in 1958 Spencer Tracy was nominated for Outdated Man And The Sea, however that wasn’t about swimming. I digress.

I additionally caught the Lionsgate presentation however that centered on motion, horror, numerous franchise stuff, plus their faith-based slate, not likely Oscar bait, though I’ve to say I’m rooting for Aziz Ansari’s hilarious-looking comedy, Good Fortune with Seth Rogen and Keanu Reeves, together with Ansari starring, directing, writing, and producing. That appears like one to look out for. And hopefully, lastly , Marc Forster’s pretty and touching younger grownup drama, White Fowl , which additionally options Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson, will get its long-delayed launch. Given half an opportunity they only would possibly discover some awards love in that one.

In the meantime the Cannes announcement additionally gave me actual hope for the season with the aforementioned Furioso and Horizon premieres, to not point out Francis Ford Coppola’s return to the Croisette with Megalopolis, already a lot talked about and dissected on social media following its screening to patrons and associates. Coppola and Cannes go collectively. I can’t wait to see this one there. I’m actually excited concerning the heavy presence of english language movies introduced as nicely, and particularly The Apprentice, which appears to be like on the shady relationship of evil lawyer Roy Cohn and his affect on the younger Donald Trump starring Jeremy Sturdy as Cohn and Sebastian Stan as Trump. That one from Iranian director Ali Abbasi will undoubtedly be a should see it doesn’t matter what your politics are, and sight unseen could possibly be an Oscar participant – or not – for all kinds of causes maybe not associated to what’s truly on display screen.

From CinemaCon to Cannes, let the season start!