I wrote a story back in September about the dozen or so potential black nominees coming to the Oscars. After the debacle of last Oscar season, things are going to be quite different when we get to February 2017.

Now that I’ve seen Denzel Washington’s extraordinary adaptation of August Wilson’s “Fences,” I can tell you that this movie is going to bring a juggernaut. Denzel, Viola Davis, Mykelti Williamson, Stephen Henderson are all strong potential nominees. Well actually, Viola Davis is going to win whatever she wants. So far she wants Best Supporting Actress. But really her performance as Rose–for which she won the Tony Award on Broadway– is a lead slot. This would upset the apple cart for Annette, Emma, Natalie, and Meryl, but even they will be blown away when they see this turn.

The crazy thing about Viola Davis is that now most people know her from “How to Get Away with Murder” on TV. It’s a totally silly show. Without her, it would be cancelled. It’s as if Meryl Streep or Cate Blanchett were featured on “General Hospital.” When her TV fans see her in “Fences,” Davis’s following is going to go crazy. No kidding. At our screening this afternoon– which was packed, and included Spike Lee and his wife Tonya Lee–you could hear the audience breathing along with Viola. Denzel is just as stunning.

Elsewhere we have Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” with supporting Oscar performances from Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris. They are in, no kidding. With “Hidden Figures,” we’ll have the possibilities of Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Jonelle Monae (who’s also so good in “Moonlight”). I also wouldn’t count out Aja Naomi King from “The Birth of a Nation.” If only there hadn’t been the attendant scandal, that movie would be very much in the mix.

And that doesn’t include the directors, writers, musicians, and all the below the line credits. Let’s not forget that the magnificent look of “Arrival” comes from Bradford Young, the black cinematographer who took off like a rocket last year with “Selma.”

At this rate, the joke will be there aren’t enough white nominees! (Just kidding!) What a wonderful and significant sea change. (PS Look for Zoe Saldana in Ben Affleck’s “Live by Night.“)

Friday box office: “Fantastic Beasts” did almost $30 million last night. The David Yates- JK Rowling spectacle is heading to a $75-$80 mil weekend. They’ve got another $53 mil overseas. Today– Saturday– could surprise everyone as kids could pump up the receipts even more.

Elsewhere things are not so great. Tom Cruise’s “Jack Reacher 2” made just $276,000 last night after a month in release. The sequel to “Jack Reacher” is now at $56 million. A $60 million total seems unlikely. This will be Cruise’s lowest US total for a film since “Lions for Lambs” ($15 mil, 2007), “Rock of Ages” ($38 mil, 2012) or — for a film in which he is the star–“Eyes Wide Shut” ($55 mil, 1999). “Never Go Back” has not had much luck abroad, either.

The other Tom, Tom Hanks, also has a disaster in “Inferno”– just $32 million US. At least they made over $171 million internationally. So Sony has $200 million in the bank all told. Complete disaster averted. Now Sony has to deal with “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” which has made $12 mil in China, but doesn’t look promising here. I wonder why the Chinese are interested in this very American movie? It must be the technology aspect of it– filmed in 3D, 4K, whatever. Good marketing in China if so.

Big premiere last night of Tom Ford’s “Nocturnal Animals,” a cool cool film that should produce Oscar buzz for Michael Shannon, Amy Adams, and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Jake was a no show, but Amy, Tom, and Michael were there at the Monkey Bar for the festivities. So were Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, who must be fans of Tom Ford’s super expensive designs– although I’ve only seen them wear jeans. Maybe it’s the sunglasses!

“Nocturnal Animals” is like two good movies for the price of one. Amy and Armie Hammer are part of a cool modern story that’s a little like Tom Ford’s first film, “A Single Man.” But Amy’s character is reading a book by her ex husband (Jake) that’s something like a Tarantino screenplay. That story also involves Shannon and Aaron Taylor Johnson. The acting is superb and so is the production design.

This is what I wrote from Toronto:

With a heavy nod to Douglas Sirk (and to Todd Haynes, who already saluted Sirk in “Far from Heaven”) Ford mixes that same cool, minimalist feel with what is essentially pulp fiction– a revenge movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon (each doing their best work) within a modern soap opera starring Adams and Armie Hammer as desperately good looking and unhappy rich people. And just so we get it, Amy’s art gallery features a black and white painting of the word REVENGE. Does Ford have to paint us a picture?

Ford is as devoted to Sirk as Brian de Palma is to Hitchock– in fact, I was thinking of “Body Double” a lot during the screening because Ford mimics dePalma’s cool veneer. Polish composer Abel Korzeniowski drives the Sirk reference home and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey manages to make the 50s come alive in 2016.

“Nocturnal Animals” doesn’t open until December 9th, so you know Focus feels it has a big hit to be premiering it so early. They do have a great film here.

In New York, tonight, as in Los Angeles last week, Viola Davis was on fire. Denzel Washington’s first screening of “Fences” was incendiary. Davis is now in lead position for Best Supporting Actress. Many observers on both coasts want her to go lead. “She’ll win either way she goes,” says a source.

All over the U.S., Viola was also burning on “How to Get Away with Murder” on ABC. The melodramatic hit show finally revealed who died in the fire at Annalise Keating’s house– SPOILER ALERT– it was Wes, played by Alfred Enoch. You know, every TV show kills off a main character now in cliffhangers. Enoch will be fine. The show launched his career.

Meanwhile, Annalise got away with murder. But Viola acquits herself well enough to cause a ruckus in “Fences.” And that’s all we can say we for now. More to come…

“The Founder” is coming and I’m lovin’ it. I haven’t seen John Lee Hancock’s movie about McDonald’s starring Michael Keaton, but it’s supposed to have enough special sauce to get Michael Keaton an Oscar nomination. In an open year in the Best Actor category, the much loved actor has a good shot.

But the folks at McDonald’s aren’t pleased. Even though The Weinstein Company has offered them chances to see the movie, the keepers of the Golden Arches haven’t responded. Indeed, I hear they’ve declined. They figure they deserve a break today.

The movie chronicles how Ray Kroc, played by Keaton, bought into the company created by the McDonald’s brothers in the 1950s and slowly took it over. Baseball fans know that Kroc got so rich he bought the San Diego Padres. At one point, in every McDonald’s there was supposed to be a plaque in his memory. Dozens of them are for sale now on the internet. Kroc was such a megalomaniac that the company even put out a commercial honoring him in 1977 for his 75th birthday:

Kroc died in 1981 leaving an estate of $8 billion.

“The Founder” will be released at the very end of December for an Oscar qualifying run, then go wide in January. It’s assumed McDonald’s will not be hosting the premiere.

Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton made their respective first public appearances since the fateful election last week. While Hillary was at the Children’s Defense Fund dinner in Washington DC, Bill stayed closer to home. He was the surprise guest at the premiere of “Lion” starring Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel. The premiere was at the Museum of Modern Art, where Clinton was almost upstaged by 8 year old first time actor Sunny Pawar, who was making first trip anywhere. Clinton shook his hand.

At the screening, Harvey Weinstein introduced Clinton, who did not speak but got a standing ovation. Instead he made reference to Clinton, thanking him for coming after this last terrible week.

“Last Tuesday, we suffered a nightmare as a country,” the movie mogul and longtime Clinton supporter said. “I’ve seen…the hate crimes, and the prejudice against women…and the progress people made on climate control, all of that starting to be peeled away. But, as long as my friend is here with me, and with the American people, then I don’t think we’re gonna have to worry. We’re gonna have to fight, but at least we’ve got someone who is an inspiration.”

Among the stars: Nicole Kidman, who’s headed to a new Oscar nomination, this time as Best Supporting Actress. She was accompanied by her loving husband, Keith Urban. Their kids didn’t come from the hotel, however, Nicole told me. Their eldest, Sunday, was “busy.” “She already has her favorite places in New York!” Nicole said. The story of “Lion” rings very true for Nicole as she is the mother of two dearly loved adopted children. (More on that tomorrow.)

The crowd loved “Lion,” and then moved on to an after party at Google’s Chelsea headquarters, where folks played video reality games and dined on Indian and Australian delicacies.  Other guests included Dan Abrams, Edie Falco, and local newscaster Rob Morrison.