Wall Street’s starting to like Netflix again and probably won’t care that it’s not making much noise in Oscar’s early best-picture conversation.
In recent years, Netflix was a prime picture contender with Alfonso Cuarón’s ROMA (2018), Martin Scorsese’s THE IRISHMAN (2019) & David Fincher’s MANK (2020)
ROMA had 10 noms, including pictures, and won for directing, cinematography & foreign language film. IRISHMAN also had 10 noms, including pictures & directing, but no wins. MANK also had 10 noms, including pictures & directing, and won for cinematography & production design.
Clearly, Netflix’s awards marketing team has been a high achiever with noms, but no one can make Academy members vote wins for films they don’t absolutely love.
Netflix’s best shot at a 2023 picture nod looked like Noah Baumbach’s WHITE NOISE, but its quiet reception at Venice was damaging. Venice also threw cold water on Andrew Dominik’s NC-17 BLONDE.
Some awards handicappers are buzzing about Netflix’s crime dramedy GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY from KNIVES OUT‘s Rian Johnson with Daniel Craig (pictured) back as detective Benoit Blanc. It’s a likely audience pleaser, but historically the kind of mainstream movie Oscar voters don’t regard as the best picture. But if they want to do it this year, they’ve got Tom Cruise’s TOP GUN: MAVERICK.
Having Cruise as a nominee would boost ratings for a show that desperately needs to deliver more viewers to ABC.