With the launch of a new #OscarsFanFavorite initiative by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Amazon's Cinderella has so far been voted as Fan Favorite of 2021. Cinderella was released last year on Prime Video starring Camila Cabello as the titular character. The film was directed by Kay Cannon, who previously directed the comedy Blockers. Unfortuanly for those involved, Cinderella received negative reception from critics upon release.
The new stipulations for the #OscarsFanFavorite campaign are as follows: Fans can tweet what their choice for best film of 2021 was at least 20 times a day. It would have to be a film released any time from March 1 to December 31, 2021, to be eligible for Oscar consideration. Three fans will then be flown out to Los Angeles to present a category at next year's ceremony. It's been expected that Spider-Man: No Way Home would take the crown as the Oscar Fan Favorite due to its popularity among critics and audiences, but that may not end up happening.
The #OscarsFanFavorite category has not been a favorite move by Academy voters and the media. Many have called it a ploy to not only gain traction with the "young and hip" crowd but also as another shallow way to be more inclusive of films that aren't considered "Oscar material." As fans continue to flood the internet with their negative reactions to the category, Deadline is reporting that last year's Cinderella is currently holding the top spot for Fan Favorite of 2021.
While #OscarsFanFavorite might push for films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Zack Snyder's Justice League to be considered, Cinderella taking the lead is baffling due to the nature of its consideration. With Twitter being used to cast votes and the film getting less than favorable reviews, it does question the integrity of the Academy and what kind of precedent it may set for the future. Even A-listers like Seth Rogen have commented about how people don't care about the prestigious ceremony anymore.
It's been no secret that ratings for the Oscars telecast have been plummeting in recent years. Even with the induction of ten Best Picture nominees back in 2009, there has still been little to no effort to include more of the "popular" films over the years. In 2018, the proposed "Best Popular Film" category was met with wide derision that the Academy nixed the idea. So by reworking it into using Twitter to cast votes by fans while not including it as an "official" category, it comes off as even more desperate and upsetting. There's no way to tell what of the nominated films will win Best Picture on March 27. However, as for the Fan Favorite Category, for now, it looks like Cinderella is going to win it.
Source: Deadline