The Oscars recently announced plans to let Twitter users decide which film from 2021 would be mentioned during this year’s broadcast as the Oscars Fan Favorite. A leading candidate for this title is reportedly the Camila Cabello-starring Cinderella musical, which was released on Amazon’s Prime Video in September. Fans will be allowed to vote for their favorites through March 3.
Cinderella is beating out even Spider-Man: No Way Home, according to Deadline. The musical, which was critically drubbed and received no Oscar nominations, is “dominating the site, and growing, an easy No. 1 for the moment,” the outlet reports. The site also claims Johnny Depp’s barely-seen Minamata is getting plenty of votes. Whatever movie wins this vote, it is not going to be presented with an Oscar statue but is only receiving a mention during the show.
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the organization that hands out the Oscars, announced the #OscarsFanFavorite program on Feb. 17. Fans can either vote by tweeting with the hashtag or going to OscarsFanFavorite.com. Each vote doubles as an entry into a contest, and winners will get a trip to the 2023 Oscars. There is also an #OscarsCheerMoment vote, although the nomination process for that is already closed. You can still vote for a particular Cheer Moment through March 3. The #OscarFanFavorite voting will also continue through March 3. The winner of the #OscarsFanFavorite vote will be recognized during the broadcast.
Although the program is meant to give movie fans a voice during the Oscars, it was widely panned as an obvious attempt to bring in viewers after Spider-Man: No Way Home didn’t get a Best Picture nomination. It is also a way to get that film and other comic book blockbusters mentioned more than once during the ceremony. (No Way Home and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings are both competing for the Best Visual Effects Oscar.) The idea also appears to be a thinly-veiled way to bring the aborted 2019 idea of a “Most Popular Film” category at the Oscars. “I’m trying to think of a dumber move the Academy has made. Sure, there are thousands, but quite possibly this could be it,” one longtime voter told Deadline.
The movies that earned real Best Picture nominations are Belfast, CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Dune, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, Nightmare Alley, The Power of the Dog, and West Side Story. Of those nominees, Dune was by far the biggest hit, raking in over $400 million worldwide. The Power of the Dog and Don’t Look Up are readily available to stream on Netflix, while CODA can be seen on Apple TV+ and Nightmare Alley is on both Hulu and HBO Max. West Side Story will be available on Disney+ and HBO Max on March 2.
The 94th Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for March 27 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes will host the show, which is produced by Will Packer. The Power of the Dog is the most-nominated film with 12, two more than Dune.
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