While we’re in the heart of the summer movie season, with fall right around the corner, it's never too early for film fans to start anticipating all the potential future Oscar nominated films. One of the most highly anticipated award contenders is director Martin Scorsese’s next film, Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. However, it looks like audiences are going to have to wait a bit longer for this thrilling murder mystery. Deadline reports that Apple TV is eyeing Killers of the Flower Moon for a premiere at next year's Cannes Film Festival.
Following this premiere, the film will get a full theatrical release through Paramount, which Deadline states could be the future for streamers who want to make their money back on their costly $100 million+ films. Many films in the past have had similar Oscar paths, including Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood. That film premiered at Cannes before getting a summer theatrical release and making over $374 million at the worldwide box office on a $90 million budget. That film would go on to be nominated for ten Oscars and won Brad Pitt a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
In terms of budget, Killers of the Flower Moon is not in the same ballpark as Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood with a rumored $200 million budget, but it would have to go to theaters to even think about making that kind of money back. With an iconic name like Scorsese behind the project, the film is off to a good start. The director is coming off his critically acclaimed Netflix film The Irishman, and while his last fully theatrical film Silence bombed at the box office, there is the real potential that this could be Scorsese’s next The Wolf of Wall Street, which made almost $400 million at the worldwide box office.
This is especially given the subject of the film, which is based off David Grann’s novel of the same name that follows a string of murders involving wealthy Osage Native Americans after oil was discovered on their land. This was also the case that led to the creation of the FBI. When you combine that compelling story with the star power of Scorsese, De Niro, and DiCaprio, This murder mystery has all the pieces to be both a critical and commercial success.
While we have to wait a little longer to see Killers of the Flower Moon, it is very reassuring that the film is getting the full theatrical treatment. Apple has been on a roll lately with their Best Picture winner CODA and the critically acclaimed film Cha Cha Real Smooth. With films like Flower Moon in their arsenal and directors like Scorsese at their disposal, that hot streak only looks to continue.