Wonder Woman 1984 has officially launched its Oscars campaign, including a push for Best Picture. The 2017 Wonder Woman movie opened in June of that year and was an immediate critical and commercial hit. It still has a 93% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But despite all the accolades and a relentless PR campaign, Wonder Woman didn't get a single Oscar nomination; not even for Best Visual Effects or Best Costume Design, where most genre films make their mark. There has been a lot of debate over why. Some have theorized Warner Bros. was too focused on Dunkirk and Blade Runner 2049. It's also possible the release of Justice League in November of that year drained Wonder Woman's momentum.
Wonder Woman 1984 opened simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max on Christmas Day, just in time to be eligible for the 93rd Academy Awards. While late December is typically a popular time for studios to release their Oscar contenders, those are usually more typical dramatic awards fare. While Wonder Woman 1984 may be far from the standard Oscar-bait movie, it seems the studio is still hoping a big promotional push can lead to some major nominations.
Warner Bros.' 2020 Awards site was recently updated with a For Your Consideration campaign for Wonder Woman 1984 in categories including Best Picture, Best Director (Patty Jenkins), Best Actress (Gal Gadot), Best Supporting Actor (Pedro Pascal and Chris Pine), and Best Supporting Actress (Kristen Wiig, Robin Wright, and Connie Nielsen), plus a number of below the line categories like Best Costume Design and Best Makeup & Hairstyling. However, it remains to be seen if the latest DC Comics film actually has a chance of getting nominated.
To date, only two superhero films have ever been nominated for Best Picture: Marvel Studios' Black Panther in 2019, which was nominated for a total of six Oscars, and Joker in 2020, which was nominated for 11 Oscars. Not even The Dark Knight, widely considered one of the best superhero films ever made, was nominated for Best Picture (although Heath Ledger posthumously won for his iconic portrayal of The Joker), which proves just how difficult it can be for superhero movies to be recognized by the Academy. It may be an even more difficult road ahead for Wonder Woman 1984.
Though initial reactions to the film were glowing, once a wider audience was able to see it, the critical response took a major dive, plummeting the Rotten Tomatoes score to 60%. Couple that with the simultaneous theatrical/streaming release plan that has cut into the box office grosses, and there just doesn't seem to be enough buzz, even in a weak year, for any of the major nominations, especially Best Picture. However, it's hard to look at a movie like Wonder Woman 1984 with Diana's gorgeous Golden Eagle suit and the makeup effects on Wiig's Cheetah, and not think that maybe, just maybe, there's a way for Wonder Woman 1984 to walk home with an Oscar this year.
Source: Warner Bros.
