It's a well-known fact that superhero movies - or sci-fi/fantasy films in general, really - don't tend to get much love at the Academy Awards in any of the major categories. There have been a few notable deviations from the norm over the years, of course, but the likes of The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King (which swept the Oscars in 2004) and Black Panther (which was nominated for Best Picture in 2019) are really just the exceptions that prove the rule.
Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige acknowledged the challenges of Oscar recognition during an interview with THR, pretty much calling out the Academy for what he refers to as "genre bias."
“I think we are always at a deficit because of the Marvel logo and because of a genre bias that certainly exists. I just loved that for a shining moment there with Black Panther that was put aside and the work was recognized for the achievement that it was,” says Feige when asked about the prospect of some awards recognition for Shang-Chi. “There are a lot of comic fans that didn’t know who Shang-Chi was. And yet the work that Destin did and Dave did and Sue did and Joel did, created something new that connected with audiences."
We recognized it, the audience recognized it, and I sure would love the hard work of all of these people who are telling their story to get recognized," he added.
The Academy famously expanded the Best Picture category to allow 10 nominees instead of 5 after The Dark Knight was snubbed in 2009, but it hasn't seemed to make much difference.
Could Shang-Chi follow Black Panther by becoming only the second ever superhero movie to be nominated for Best Picture? The Phase 4 film did garner plenty of critical acclaim, but it seems unlikely. Our best hope of getting a genre release in any of the big awards categories this year is probably Denis Villeneuve's Dune, and even that's seen as something of a long-shot by industry analysts.
This year's nominations are expected to be announced on February 8, 2022. Do you think Shang-Chi should be among them? Drop us a comment down below.
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