“Selma” was the little movie that could and almost didn’t. I thought it would win the Oscar, but a carefully constructed campaign– from Lyndon Johnson fans who turned out to have been a silent majority– derailed Ava Duvernay’s excellent film.
But there’s some consolation. “Selma” has crossed $51 million domestic box office. It’s the 3rd highest Best Picture nominee in grosses, behind “American Sniper,” “Into the Woods,” and “The Imitation Game.” With no acting nominations and no director nod, “Selma” still did better than “Birdman” (actual Best Pic and Director), “Boyhood,” “Theory of Everything” (Best Actor), and two current big studio flops– “Jupiter Ascending” and “Focus.”
So there. “Selma” woulda, coulda, shoulda. It will also last a lot longer in the culture than a lot of these films. That’s saying something.
