Over the previous 10 years, only ONE Best Picture Academy Award winner was distributed by a major movie studio. It was 2012’s “Argo” (Warner Bros.). Of the other winners, four came from Fox Searchlight (“Slumdog Millionaire”, “12 Years a Slave”, “Birdman” and “The Shape of Water”). The Weinstein Company was responsible for two (“The King’s Speech” and “The Artist”). And there were single Best Picture Oscar winners from Summit Entertainment (“The Hurt Locker”), Open Road (“Spotlight”) and A24 (“Moonlight”).
But in 2018 the big guys are back in the game. This Awards Season, five of the six major studios have at least one major contender for Oscar’s top honor:
Paramount
PARAMOUNT does have some big releases, including Tyler Perry’s “Nobody’s Fool”, Mark Wahlberg’s “Instant Family” and the “Transformers” prequel/spinoff “Bumblebee”. However, none of these will make it onto the Best Picture ballot.
20th Century Fox
20TH CENTURY FOX will open the racial tension drama “The Hate U Give” in limited release on October 5 before expanding on the 12th and going nationwide on the 19th. The studio is also distributing the Queen/Freddie Mercury music biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Nov. 2) and “Slave” director Steve McQueen’s all-star crime drama “Widows” (Nov. 16).
Sony/Columbia
SONY/COLUMBIA will campaign hard for “The Front Runner”. It’s based on the true story of 1988 Presidential candidate Gary Hart (Hugh Jackman). Jason Reitman’s latest is set to open in NY & LA on Election Day, Nov. 6, before expanding on the 14th and going nationwide on the 21st.
Universal
UNIVERSAL is eager to soar with “La La Land” director Damien Chazelle’s “First Man” (Oct. 12). The space saga stars Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong and “The Crown”’s Claire Foy as his wife. Universal is also the studio behind Toronto International Film Festival Audience Choice Award recipient “Green Book”, with Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali (Nov. 21). And then there’s Robert Zemeckis’ latest quirky and innovative creation “Welcome to Marwen” starring Steve Carell (Dec. 21).
Warner Bros.
WARNER BROS. definitely has a frontrunner on their hands with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s 2018 version of “A Star is Born” (Oct. 5).
Walt Disney Pictures
And WALT DISNEY PICTURES will attempt to earn their first Best Picture Academy Award nomination since 1964’s “Mary Poppins” with… “Mary Poppins Returns”. Frankly, the studio should’ve broken that streak five years ago with “Saving Mr. Banks” (which was about the making of “Mary Poppins”). And it could’ve also happened for 2014’s “Into the Woods”, starring Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep, and directed by Rob Marshall. That trio reunites for the highly-anticipated “MPR”, out Dec. 19.