Netflix cleaned up in nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards, reflecting what a pivotal year it was for the movie business’ streaming revolution.
The Los Gatos, California, company scored 35 nominations for its movies Monday morning, the most of any studio. Netflix’s total was led by David Fincher’s “Mank,” which earned 10 nods, making it the most decorated film. The black and white ode to old Hollywood is up for trophies including best picture, lead actor (Gary Oldman) and director.
Netflix also earned six nominations for Aaron Sorkin’s historical drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” also up for best picture, and five for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” The late Chadwick Boseman was honored with a lead actor nomination for his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” and his co-star Viola Davis earned a spot in the lead actress category, although the film did not get a best picture nod in a notable snub.
Streaming rival Amazon Studios was also a big contender, scoring 12 nominations overall, including for such films as best picture contender “Sound of Metal,” starring Riz Ahmed as a heavy metal drummer who loses his hearing. Amazon’s “One Night in Miami...” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” also got multiple kudos.
Streaming services Apple TV+ and Disney+ both earned their first Oscar nominations. Apple was represented by the animated feature “Wolfwalkers” and war film “Greyhound” (up for sound).
The bundle of streaming nominations comes after an atypical year for the academy and the film industry, when most big commercial movies were delayed by the pandemic and many of the likely winners are little-known by the general public. It’s often the case that awards favorites skew toward the obscure, but usually there’s a “Mad Max: Fury Road” or “Joker” to bring in the masses. Lacking any blockbusters this year, ratings are likely to decline steeply if viewership for the Golden Globes is any indication.
Last year, Netflix outpaced the studios with 24 nominations for films including “The Irishman,” “Marriage Story” and “The Two Popes.” However, the company ended up winning only two statuettes: supporting actress for Laura Dern in “Marriage Story” and documentary feature for “American Factory.”
“Mank,” which follows the travails of witty “Citizen Kane” scribe Herman Mankiewicz, will try to avoid the fate of Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” which also earned 10 nominations but was shut out at the actual ceremony.
Although overshadowed by the the streamers, the traditional distributors made their presence known, even though most of their movies weren’t released in the usual way — in theaters for weeks before they hit streaming services and VOD sites.
Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland,” the current favorite to win best picture, was distributed by Walt Disney Co.'s Searchlight Pictures (formerly Fox Searchlight) but had a hybrid release, debuting on Disney-owned Hulu at the same time as its theatrical release. “Nomadland,” a bleak but gripping exploration of American economic hardship, has six nominations.
The Disney empire also got nominations for “Soul,” released directly to Disney+ in December, and Hulu’s “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” with Andra Day nominated for lead actress. In total, Disney and its various subsidiaries came away with 15 nominations, including a visual effects honor for its Disney+ release “The One and Only Ivan.”
Comcast Corp.'s Focus Features nabbed seven nominations, including five for Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman,” starring Carey Mulligan. Universal Pictures’ Western “News of the World” earned four, bringing the Comcast empire’s total to 11.
Warner Bros. is up for eight awards — six for “Judas and the Black Messiah,” which debuted on HBO Max and in theaters simultaneously; and two for “Tenet.”
Sony Pictures Classics, which released “The Father,” had six nominations, as did A24, which released “Minari,” Lee Isaac Chung’s tale of a Korean American immigrant family that moves to a rural farm in the 1980s.
