The2020 Oscar nominationshave been revealed and it was a big day forJoker. Warner Bros.' blockbuster DC Comics adaptation led the pack with a grand total of 11 nominations, including Best Picture. Not only did it have more nominations than any other movie this year, but it also set a new record for comic book movies overall, as no other movie based on a comic book has scored more nominations in the history of the Academy Awards.
Jokerwas nominated for Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role (Joaquin Phoenix), Cinematography (Lawrence Sher), Costume Design (Mark Bridges), Directing (Todd Phillips), Film Editing (Jeff Groth), Makeup and Hairstyling (Nicki Ledermann and Kay Georgiou), Original Score (Hildur Guonadottir), Sound Editing (Alan Robert Murray), Sound Mixing (Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic and Tod Maitland) and Adapted Screenplay ( Todd Phillips and Scott Silver). Quentin Tarantino’sOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, Martin Scorsese’sThe Irishmanand Sam Mendes'1917were trailing just behind with ten nominations each. All of which were nominated for Best Picture alongside James Mangold’sFord vs Ferrari, Taika Waititi’sJojo Rabbit, Greta Gerwig’sLittle Women, Noah Baumbach’sMarriage Storyand Bong Joon-Ho’sParasite.
Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knightheld the previous record for a comic book movie with eight nominations. However, it didn’t receive a nomination for Best Picture, despite arguably being the most heralded comic book movie ever made. Because it was viewed as such a snub at the time, the Academy expanded the number of movies that could be nominated in the category the following year. Last year, Marvel’sBlack Pantherbecame the first superhero movie to break that barrier and score a Best Picture nod. That has undoubtedly helped pave the way forJoker.
Joaquin Phoenix took home the Golden Globefor his performance inJoker. That likely makes him the front runner in that category heading into this year’s Academy Awards. He’s competing against Antonia Banderas (Pain and Glory), Leonardo DiCaprio (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Adam Driver (Marriage Story) and Jonathan Pryce (The Two Popes). Todd Phillips is competing against Martin Scorsese (The Irishman), Sam Mendes (1917), Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) and Bong Joon-Ho (Parasite). There is at least a little irony there, considering that Scorsese at least toyed with producingJoker, and maybe even directing.
Joker, an R-rated gritty character study that is quite unlike the average comic book movie, proved to be a massive hit, grossing $1.06 billion at the global box office. While it was a bit divisive amongst critics, there was more positivity than negativity. When it took home the top prize at the Venice Film Festival last year, its path toOscarsglory seemed certain. Whether or not it will cap things off with a big win or two remains to be seen. The 92nd annual Academy Awards ceremony is set for Sunday, February 9 on ABC. This news comes to us viathe official Oscars.go.com website.
