Jimmy Kimmel criticizes the Oscars after Spider-Man: No Way Home was not nominated for Best Picture. In addition to breaking box office records upon its release last December, No Way Home also earned widespread praise from critics and audiences. The enthusiastic reception to the film fueled a major Oscars campaign, where Sony pushed for No Way Home to earn a Best Picture nomination at this year's ceremony. The Academy expanded the Best Picture field to a guaranteed 10 spots, giving people hope No Way Home would be able to make the list.

Despite Sony's campaign, No Way Home's only nomination came for Best Visual Effects. Dune was the lone big-budget studio tentpole to crack the Best Picture lineup, as the rest of the category skewed more towards the smaller, character-driven fare the Academy favors. In the aftermath of the 2022 Oscar nominations, some felt No Way Home was one of the more notable snubs. Among that group is two-time Oscars host Kimmel.

Related: Why No Way Home's Spider-Man Team-Up Shouldn't Happen Again

On Jimmy Kimmel Live (hat tip IndieWire), Kimmel reacted the the 2022 Oscar nominations, voicing his displeasure for the No Way Home Best Picture snub. In his comments, the talk show host specifically called out Don't Look Up getting a nod over No Way Home, comparing the two's drastically different Rotten Tomatoes scores. Check out what he had to say in the space below:

“The biggest snub in my opinion, and I am actually even angry about this I am embarrassed to say, is the unforgivable omission of Spider-Man: No Way Home? How did [Spider-Man: No Way Home] not get one of the 10 nominations for Best Picture? Forget the fact that the movie made $750 million [in the U.S.] and is still going. This was a great movie. It wasn’t in the top 10 best movies of the year? There were three Spider-Men in it. You’re telling me Don’t Look Up was better than Spider-Man? It most certainly was not. Even if you go by the critics reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, Don’t Look Up got a 46% and Spider-Man: No Way Home has 90%."

Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in the final battle of Spider-Man No Way Home

Only two comic book adaptations - Black Panther and Joker - have earned Best Picture nominations. With that in mind, it isn't surprising No Way Home missed out, but it's still proven to be a disappointing turn of events. The film made a tremendous impact on audiences around the world, thanks to its emotional storyline that celebrated three generations of Spider-Man movies. It also served as a much-needed boon for movie theaters amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, grossing over $1 billion globally. Many saw the tenth Best Picture slot as an opportunity for the Academy to recognize and celebrate No Way Home's accomplishments, perhaps even giving the ratings-starved TV ceremony a boost.

The films in the running for Best Picture, including critically-acclaimed titles like The Power of the Dog, Belfast, and CODA, are all worthy contenders, and their nominations should encourage viewers to seek them out (giving smaller titles a bigger audience). Still, Kimmel makes a compelling case for No Way Home, and it would have been nice to see it up for the Academy's top prize. Since film is subjective, there are always going to be snubs, but if the goal of the Oscars is to honor the year's best movies, overlooking a critically-acclaimed, box office juggernaut that helped save movie theaters does seem like a glaring omission. Ironically, the Academy is very aware of No Way Home's significance, as Tom Holland was reportedly in the running to be Oscars host. Nominating No Way Home for Best Picture would have been the bigger move.

Next: How to Watch Oscars 2022 Best Picture Nominees

Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live (via IndieWire)

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