DC Fans Weigh In On The Batman's Oscar Chances
The highly anticipated film "The Batman" by director Matt Reeves was released to theaters last week and has already amassed a huge number of viewers — the film brought in a whopping $248.5 million globally just in its opening weekend (via Collider). The film, which was co-written by Reeves and Peter Craig, follows Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) in his second year of fighting crime as Batman, during which he begins chasing down a serial killer known as the Riddler (Paul Dano), who has been targeting elite members of Gotham City and live-streaming his crimes. Two key members who assist Batman in this pursuit are Gotham City Police Department lieutenant James Gordon (Jeffery Wright) and nightclub worker Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz). The film also features Andy Serkis as Bruce's butler Alfred Pennyworth, John Turturro as crime lord Carmine Falcone and Colin Ferrell as Oz Cobblepot, aka Penguin.
With "The Batman" easily being the most-talked-about film of 2022, thus far, it makes sense that discussions over the possibility of it landing a few Oscar nominations next year would arise. "The Batman" has received mostly positive reviews from both critics and audiences — the film currently holds an 85% Tomatometer score and an 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes — it definitely isn't out of the question for it to show up in a few Oscar categories on the 2023 ballot.
So, what are DC fans saying about the new film's chances at nabbing any Academy Awards nods?
Fans speculate which categories The Batman could be included in
Variety recently published an article, by writer Clayton Davis, wondering if "The Batman" may be the year's first Oscar contender. Within the article, Davis speculated as to which categories "The Batman" may have a chance of being included in, with cinematography (by two-time nominee Greig Fraser) and original score (by Oscar-winner Michael Giacchino) being named first and foremost. When Variety posted their article to Twitter, fans took to the comments to voice their opinions on the matter.
One fan in agreement with Variety is @sports_god1, who wrote, "Cinematography-Yes. Very good contender, Score- Yes, Score Contender. I'll even throw my support behind Colin Farrell/Penguin for best Supporting Actor." Paul Dano was also mentioned by fans as a possible best supporting actor nominee, as well as Robert Pattinson for Best Actor, "if we're lucky," as @DaFookIsDis described it.
Another Twitter user, @SiulOczoro989, noted that "At least the music deserves recognition," but disagreed that any of the actors gave nomination-worthy performances. Another DC fan, @Luther2022, voiced their opinion that "makeup, supporting role and direction" should also be considered (although they didn't specify which supporting actor). In response to this tweet, @BannuVital added production design to the list of those which should be considered.
Looking at the big picture (and expressing their personal love for the film), @JackieB36746112 speculated, "I think it will clean up the technical awards similar to 'Mad Max Fury Road' but I don't see a best picture nomination even though it will certainly be in my top 10." Another fan, @thajdikt, added their support, writing, "100%. Until there comes better movies this year (which could happen) in terms of cinematography, score, sound editing, vfx and directing."
Fans compare The Batman to other superhero films
Considering that superhero films being nominated for Oscars isn't exactly a common occurrence, it makes sense that fans would bring up the few exceptions while discussing the chances of "The Batman" nabbing any nods. Some of these exceptions include 2017's "Logan" nabbing a screenplay nomination and 2018's "Black Panther" receiving seven nominations including Best Picture. Additionally, two actors, Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix, have won the best actor award for playing the Joker (and both of their films received several other nods).
As for what this previous history means for "The Batman," one fan, @supermangeek10, speculated, "The Dark Knight won [an] Oscar & Joker won multiple Oscars so I can see #TheBatman being a contender!" On the other side of the spectrum, @Adamf941 was less optimistic, writing, "Dark knight was robbed of a best picture nod and since then the only comic book movies to get a notable nod is logan and black panther ... The Oscars will not take any comic book movie seriously."
Additionally, many commenters brought up 2021's "Spider-Man: No Way Home," which many believed was snubbed at this year's Oscars, having only picked up a nomination for Best Visual Effects (via Deadline). One fan, @CStrable, wrote, "Has a similar critical reaction as 'No Way Home.' But because it's more 'serious' I imagine it will get some [Oscar] buzz." Implying that they think "The Batman" has a better chance at not being snubbed, @Luther2022 declared it to be "way better" than "No Way Home."
Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a while until we get to see how fans' predictions play out — after all, we still haven't seen this year's Oscar winners get announced.