Netflix Leads All Studios with 16 Oscar Nominations
The morning of Oscar nominations was a successful one for Netflix, as the streaming giant from Los Gatos, California, secured 16 film nominations. This impressive tally was largely fueled by the success of Emilia Pérez, which positions Netflix with a strong chance to win its first best picture award.
Following closely behind was indie studio A24, which achieved 14 feature film nominations. Ten of these were for The Brutalist, a lengthy epic starring Adrien Brody about a Hungarian Jewish architect who relocates to America after World War II.
Universal Pictures and its specialty division, Focus Features, completed the top four with 13 and 12 nominations, respectively. Universal received recognition for the widely promoted musical Wicked, while Focus Features was nominated for its works Conclave and Nosferatu. This performance made Comcast the most nominated company overall.
Walt Disney Company's Searchlight Pictures garnered 10 nominations, with eight going to the Timothée Chalamet-led Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown. When considering all segments of Disney, the total nominations reached 15, including recognition for the animated feature Inside Out 2, which was a box office success.
On the indie side, studio Neon received seven nominations, notably for Anora. Film streamer Mubi also had six nominations, credited to the body horror film The Substance, featuring Demi Moore. Warner Bros. Pictures obtained five nominations, while both Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Classics achieved three nominations each.
Despite Netflix's noteworthy success, overall nominations for streaming services have become quieter compared to previous years. Amazon MGM Studios scored two nominations for Nickel Boys, and Apple failed to secure any nominations this year, a drop from 13 nominations the previous year, when it also walked away without wins.
Industry experts, such as Stephen Galloway from Chapman University, suggest that this decline among streaming services reflects a shift in strategies, as winning awards does not always lead to increased subscriptions. "Specialty movies that typically earn Oscars may not attract a significant number of new subscribers," Galloway remarked.
Last year, Netflix led the nomination counts as well but secured only one win, which was for Wes Anderson's short film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. This year, Netflix is particularly hopeful for Emilia Pérez, a predominantly Spanish-language film that received 13 nominations. The film tells the story of a Mexican cartel leader who goes through a gender transition, making history as Karla Sofia Gascón became the first out trans woman to earn an acting nomination.
This year, the nominees predominantly lean towards smaller, art-house films. Out of the major studio films released recently, only Universal's Wicked and Warner Bros.’ Dune: Part Two are included in the best picture race. Successful ventures like Conclave, The Substance, and A Complete Unknown achieved commercial success, though at a smaller scale.
Even among big studios, it was their specialty divisions, like Focus Features and Searchlight, that drew significant attention this year.
Overall, this year's best picture nominations amassed a total of $877 million in domestic box office and $1.7 billion globally, indicating a 37% downturn compared to last year's best picture nominees.
Netflix, Oscar, Nominations