The four movie blockbusters vying, unusually, for best picture Oscar
It’s rare to see so many box office hits tipped for the best picture Academy Award, with new Star Wars and Mad Max films, Ridley Scott’s The Martian and Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight all in the running
Rarely do box office smashes wow Academy voters. Technical categories aside, Oscars are reserved for movies that are supposedly more sophisticated.
There are exceptions, of course. Titanic won best picture in 1997, and ever since the best picture field expanded to 10 potential nominees, there's supposedly more space for less weighty movies. It's sort of a peace offering for the common folk – a chance for one movie that's less arty and more mainstream to get a nomination.
Last year it was top earner American Sniper. Meanwhile, the award winner, Birdman, was the 78th most profitable film of 2014, and none of the other hopefuls cracked the top 30.
This year might be different, however. Four popular movies have a shot at a best picture nomination. In order of likelihood, they are Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Hateful Eight and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Here's a look at their chances.
In a year when many long-gestating franchise films flopped – think Entourage and Terminator: Genisys – people flocked to cinemas to see George Miller's dust-covered summer blockbuster. The action film, released 30 years after the last Max instalment, earned more than US$150 million in the United States alone and even more overseas.