The Academy got smart this year, and took the message.
Best Picture nominees were divided among box office blockbusters and art house films.
In the past, few blockbusters have made the cut. The reasoning was the money they brought in was the reward.
Nominating “Top Gun Maverick” and “Avatar The Way of Water” ensures a viewing audience for the March 12th show on ABC. Uniquely, they are each sequels, and one made more than a decade or two after the original film.
Both films made more than $600 million apiece in the US alone, and a billion plus worldwide.
“Elvis,” also a huge hit, is in the mix of Best Picture.
The rest of the films had minimal box office, but even the Oscar telecast viewing audience understands they are the ones to beat starting with “The Fabelmans” and “TAR.”
