Oscars Nominate 'Black Panther' for Best Picture
by EG
When the Oscars announced last year that they were introducing a "popular flm" category, it looked to most like an excuse to snub Black Panther in the real Best Picture category. When that plan fell apart, the Academy had to decide if it would give a nod to the movie in the traditional category. Read on for more details.
Black Panther is going where no comic book movie has gone before, with the Marvel Studios film earning a best picture Oscar nomination Tuesday morning.
Director Ryan Coogler's Black Panther earned $1.3 billion worldwide and was hailed as an important cultural moment thanks to its primarily Black cast and themes of Afrofuturism and identity.
The film also earned Oscar nominations for best costume design, production design, sound editing, sound mixing, original score and original song.
While comic book films dominate at the box office, they had been passed over by the Oscars in the best picture category until now. A decade ago, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (2008) failed to receive a best picture nomination, and the subsequent outcry was in part credited with the Academy expanding the best picture race from five to ten nominees.
Last month, NBC touted Black Panther's Golden Globe nomination in the outstanding motion picture - drama category as a way to entice viewers, and Oscars broadcaster ABC is surely hoping Black Panther's best picture nomination will bring a sense of excitement to this year's telecast, which remains hostless and last year plunged to an all-time low in viewership.
In August, the Academy said it would roll out a "popular film" award as a way to connect with audiences, though The Academy shelved the idea in September. Observers had wondered if the category would be seen as a consolation prize for acclaimed films such as Black Panther that might not earn best picture nominations.
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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