Oscars Party Crashers: How ‘The Color Purple,’ ‘The Iron Claw’ and ‘Napoleon’ Could Affect Awards Season
variety.comClayton Davis Senior Awards Editor A late-release awards contender can move through Oscar season like a cat. It crouches low, waiting patiently for the right moment to pounce.
With the deployment of a skillful campaign, yet-unscreened films waiting in the wings — notably “The Color Purple,” “The Iron Claw” and “Napoleon” — might execute the perfect strike, catching established front-runners like “Oppenheimer” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” by surprise.
Throughout the expanded best picture era (post-2009), second- and third-quarter release dates have been the sweet spot for eventual Academy winners.
Memorable examples are 2009’s “The Hurt Locker” (May) and last year’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (April). As October draws to a close, few of the contenders initially screened on the fall festival circuit have been critical flops.
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