Disney and Marvel Studios broke records last year with their slate of superhero films, and they’re not stopping now. Once again Disney looking to snag a Best Picture Award at the upcoming 2022 Oscars by pushing Chloé Zhao’s Eternals. The film’s official campaign lists multiple categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and a plethora of others covering nearly every aspect of the film.
This wouldn’t be the first superhero film to attempt this feat. Marvel’s Black Panther managed to snag a Best Picture nomination in 2019, but fell short against its competition. However, the outstanding film won some of its other Oscars nominations including Best Score, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design. Both Black Panther and Eternals are known for their diverse casting and incredible visual effects. If accepted by the Academy, this will be Zhao’s second Best Director nomination, her first being for Nomadland in 2020. Nomadland won both Best Director and Best Picture that year.
Eternals won’t be the only superhero film this year vying for that coveted award. Marvel will be competing against themselves as Sony has launched a campaign for Spider-Man: No Way Home to be considered for similar categories, including Best Picture. The decision to campaign the film comes after its massive box office success, gaining over $1.3 billion worldwide. Also listed on Disney’s official awards campaign website are Best Picture considerations for Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. While they have released official campaign ads yet, it's safe to say that Marvel believes that their films are worthy of a Best Picture nomination, in addition to other categories.
The President of Marvel Kevin Feige lead the campaign for 2019’s Avengers: Endgame following Black Panther’s semi-successful Oscar run, pushing for a Best Picture along with 13 other entries, but unfortunately only walked away with a Best Visual Effects nomination. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse won Best Animated Feature at the 2019 Academy Awards.
With comic book films earning more recognition for their effects, acting, and storytelling, filmmakers are excited to see that talent officially awarded. As more campaigns and shortlists are released, fans and executives alike wait to see if Disney and Marvel are set to break more than just box office records this year. You can check out the full list of nomination considerations for Eternals below:
- Best Picture: Kevin Feige, p.g.a., Nate Moore, p.g.a.
- Best Director: Chloé Zhao
- Best Actress: Gemma Chan
- Best Actor: Richard Madden
- Best Supporting Actress: Lia McHugh, Lauren Ridloff, Salma Hayek, Angelina Jolie
- Best Supporting Actor: Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Barry Keoghan, Don Lee, Kit Harrington
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Chloé Zhao, Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, Kaz Firpo
- Best Cinematography: Ben Davis, BSC
- Best Production Design: Eve Stewart, Michael Standish
- Best Sound: Addison Teague, Daniel Laurie, Lora Hirschberg, Juan Peralta, Gareth John
- Best Film Editing: Craig Wood, ACE, Dylan Tichenor, ACE
- Best Costume Design: Sammy Sheldon Differ
- Best Makeup & Hairstyling: Frances Hannon, Karen Cohen
- Best Visual Effects: Stephane Ceretti, Matt Aitken, Daniele Bigi, Neil Corbould
- Best Original Score: Ramin Djawadi