Tuesday’s Oscar nominations could give blockbusters a boost

New York – Big-screen spectacle is expected to dominate Tuesday’s nominations for the 95th Academy Awards, a year after the streaming service won Hollywood’s top honor for the first time.

Nominations will be announced at 8:30 a.m. ET at the Samuel Godwin Theater in Beverly Hills, California. They will appear live on ABC’s “Good Morning America” ​​and live on Oscars.org, Oscars.com and several of the Academy’s social media platforms. Riz Ahmed (“Voice of Metal”) and Allison Williams (“M3gan”) will read the nominees.

If all goes as expected, “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Avatar: Way of Water,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Elvis” could all get between six and nine nominations. If last year’s Oscars were dominated by streaming — Apple TV+’s “CODA” won best picture and Netflix had 27 nominations — the films that lured moviegoers to multiplexes made up many of this year’s top contenders.

This includes A24’s sci-fi indie hit “Everything Everywhere All On Once.” Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan’s interverse story is likely to get the most nominations on Tuesday, including nominations for Michelle Yeoh and comeback kid Ke Huy Quan.

Also high on the list is Martin McDonagh’s Irish-set dark comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin,” which is expected to receive as many as four acting nominations, including Nominations for Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.

Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabermans” struggled to captivate audiences, but the director’s autobiographical coming-of-age story would earn Spielberg his 20th Oscar nomination and eighth best director nomination. John Williams, his longtime composer, should extend his record for most living Oscar nominations. Another Best Score nomination would give Williams his 53rd nomination, trailing only Walt Disney’s 59.

Many questions remain, though, such as whether the love for Top Gun: Maverick was enough to earn Tom Cruise a Best Actor nomination. Another top-grossing blockbuster this year, Avatar: The Way of Water, should score well in the technical category, but isn’t quite sure director James Cameron will make it into the best director category. After the category, the first to return – with back-to-back wins for female filmmakers – 2021’s Chloé Zhao (“Nomads”), last year’s Jane Campion (“Dog Power”) – no woman is expected to win the top prize. Best Director nomination.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is sure to celebrate a Best Picture field full of blockbusters. Viewership for telecasts has generally been higher over the years, with the most-watched movies being the most popular. Before the “slap” came to define the show, last year’s show looked like an Oscars remake. Afterwards, the Academy banned Will Smith from attending for the next 10 years. While he could still be nominated, Smith’s performance as a runaway slave in “Emancipation” didn’t catch on.

Broadcasts drew 15.4 million viewers last year, up 56% from the record low of 10.5 million viewers hit by the pandemic-damaged TV broadcast in 2021, according to Nielsen data. This year, ABC will recall Jimmy Kimmel to host the awards show on March 12, which will surely be seen as a return to the slap scene.

But bigger worries surround the film industry. After two years of the pandemic, last year saw flashes of a triumphant revival in theaters, like the success of Top Gun: Maverick. But partly because major releases have been shaky, ticket sales for the year have only recovered about 70% of their pre-pandemic business. Regal Cinemas, the second-largest theater chain in the United States, announced the closure of 39 theaters this month.

Meanwhile, storm clouds have engulfed the streaming world after years of what was once seemingly boundless growth. Stocks tumbled as Wall Street looked to make money from streaming services, not just add subscribers. Austerity ensues as the industry once again enters an uncertain chapter.

In stark contrast to last year’s Academy Awards, there may be no streaming titles vying for the Oscars’ favorite this year — though the final spot among the 10 best films is still up for grabs. Netflix’s best footage instead appeared in other categories, notably the animated film favorite “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” and the German submission “All Quiet on the Western Front.”