Disney-ABC request for popular Oscar category sparks Backlash

[Immortal Weapon]

I am not sure if an Oscar win means better box office for a movie. (it probably helps nominated and winning actors, writers, directors, etc...)

It's something that studios love to use to sell Blu-ray and on demand. If you see the Suicide Squad movie Blu-ray on a shelf you bet there will be a sticker on it boasting it as an Oscar winner.

[jump]

If you think about it, how many Oscar fodder films have won awards for the actors putting on a fake nose, losing/gaining loads of weight and chewing the hell out of the scenery, there should be loads more comic hero films with Oscars.

[Jokerz79]

The only Superhero film in history to perhaps deserved the best nom was Dark Knight but nothing else and I say that as an MCU fan. As for Logan Patrick Stewart deserved an nomination for acting as did perhaps Hugh Hackman but more Stewart. Black Panther is a good movie but it's not best picture good much like Wonder Woman it deserves a nom for costume/clothing designs.

X-Men, Black Panther, WW, deal with themes of oppression and racism but it's entry level it's not deep and not the type of stories deserving of an Oscar. What I mean is Black Panther talks about racism and oppression of minorities notable African-Americans and POC can fill in the gaps with their own life experiences but the film doesn't actually show racism or oppression of minorities Black Lightning has done more than Black Panther to show the struggles of minorities in American Society in it's first five minutes. Black Panther is a good movie, it's a crowd pleaser, and it's gotten people to ask questions about society but it's not an Oscar worthy film without this new popular category which IMO overall lessons the impact of what winning an Oscar means.

[Username taken]

If you think about it how many Oscar fodder films have won awards for the actors putting on a fake nose, losing/gaining loads of weight and chewing the hell out of the scenery there should be loads more comic hero films with Oscars.

Quoted for truth.

In fact, I actually go back on my original point, more comic book movies should have gotten oscar noms (not just Black Panther and The Dark Knight) if it were actually on merit.

Folks shouldn't also forget that a lot of movies are released towards the end of the year with heavy campaigns from the studios. It's not entirely based on merit and in reality, some comic book movies are actually better than what eventually wins.

[Mister Mets]

This is a dumb policy for several reasons.

The Oscars do have a problem of the voters having biases towards certain types of films, but this just highlights that bias and poor taste. I get that there might not be a solution to that since any public discussion of it isn't great for the brand.

But it's also going to be a difficult thing to define. Should films in popular genres that didn't make a lot of money but got critical acclaim (IE- Blade Runner 2049) be nominated?

They're not going to know for sure how popular a film is going to be when it's nomination time. American Sniper was the biggest film of its year, but it went into wide release after the nominations came out, so when it was time to submit nominations they weren't going to have all the box office info.

[Pinsir]

Mad Max: Fury Road was nominated for best picture, but now would it just be placed under this new category and that's it?

[Hall]

The only Superhero film in history to perhaps deserved the best nom was Dark Knight but nothing else and I say that as an MCU fan. As for Logan Patrick Stewart deserved an nomination for acting as did perhaps Hugh Hackman but more Stewart. Black Panther is a good movie but it's not best picture good much like Wonder Woman it deserves a nom for costume/clothing designs.



.

Marvel has 40 or 50 movies from many film distributors. Disney, Universal, Lionsgate, Sony, FOX. Out of those 50 movies one movie deserves best picture as much as The Dark Knight, that is unperfect too. Logan. The Oscars agrees since they gave Logan a better major category than The Dark Knight. It was robbed of a best picture nomination for comic fans. I was watching a person on youtube, I think it was Grace or Campea , They felt this new category will bring out vicious wars among fandoms.

X-Men, Black Panther, WW, deal with themes of oppression and racism but it's entry level it's not deep and not the type of stories deserving of an Oscar. What I mean is Black Panther talks about racism and oppression of minorities notable African-Americans and POC can fill in the gaps with their own life experiences but the film doesn't actually show racism or oppression of minorities Black Lightning has done more than Black Panther to show the struggles of minorities in American Society in it's first five minutes. Black Panther is a good movie, it's a crowd pleaser, and it's gotten people to ask questions about society but it's not an Oscar worthy film without this new popular category which IMO overall lessons the impact of what winning an Oscar means

Black Panther does not show any level of racism or oppression. X-Men movies does. To the contrary, everything you said Black Panther does not do. Xmen movies did, the xmen movies were not entry level. They are deeper than Black Panther. Its no surprising Logan could get for writing in the end. X-Men movies were always far from entry level, same for The Dark Knight.

[AJBopp]

I can't wait for the first movie to be nominated for best picture and best popular picture. That will certainly end the debate over why this new category should exist.

[titanfan]

I can't wait for the first movie to be nominated for best picture and best popular picture. That will certainly end the debate over why this new category should exist.

Toy Story 3 being nominated in Animated/Best Picture didn't really quell the thought that a lot of animated features (better than Beauty and the Beast and TS3) were probably snubbed from Best Picture nominations people everyone just voted for them in Animated Feature.

That said, I wish they just separated it out by genre if they were going to do this. Best Comedy/Musical; Best Drama; Best Action/Adventure

[Scott Taylor]

I get the feeling the Black Panther popularity nomination idea is another attempt to make it look less like the Oscar's is a white-only club (which it is, essentially)

[titanfan]

I did think (at first) it was a ploy by the Oscars to stave off controversy when Black Panther likely didn't receive a nomination for Best Picture.

But now that I know Disney put them up to it--it's like--yeah, this is totally a way for them to win more Oscars. The Academy pretty much has to do what they want.

[wjowski]

The Oscars are pretentious nonsense anyways. Just like when the Hugos made a graphic novel category to keep those dirty, plebeian comic books from tainting the 'real' awards.

[choptop]

We are in August, best popular film this year is not Black Panther, It's Mission Impossible 6. This category will be scrapped after three years. We already have MTV and Peoples Choice award for this category.

Well it is the better movie in my opinion.

[AnakinFlair]

Was this the only way Disney could ensure Black Panther lands a major Nomination? I heard they were planning to lunch a major campaign for the film but after Wonder Woman, which had a heavy Oscar campaign failed to land any nominations, Black Panther was never going to get any. It is not Logan or The Dark Knight. The only two superhero films to get nominated in major categories.

The Disney-Abc move devalues the entire Oscars. Awards should be given based on what is deserving. The reaction so far has been very negative, I didn't expect much backlash. I expect the category to be scrapped in 3 years.

http://comicbook.com/marvel/2018/08/...scars-changes/

You know, I honestly don't think adding a 'Popular' category was an angle to get them an Oscar for Black Panther or any Marvel (or any Disney) movie. I think it is an attempt to put something in the show that the general public want's to see. The past few years, all the movies that were up for Oscars were by and large smaller, more intellectual movies, and people just didn't care. Just look at the ratings. But by limiting the show to 3 hours, and putting a 'Popular Movie' category in, Disney is hoping to draw an audience. Otherwise, they are just loosing money each year when the Oscars air.

All that being said, who is going to take the 'Popular' category seriously?

[AJBopp]

All that being said, who is going to take the 'Popular' category seriously?

I am completely at a loss to understand how anyone could not imagine it will be an emotional, heart-pounding moment during that pregnant pause when the envelope is ripped open to announce the year's Best Most Popular Movie.

I say we start nominating celebrities best suited to be presenters for the category. My first thoughts: James Gunn and Natalie Portman.