Meet This Year's Best Picture Contenders
If your leftover Halloween candy pile is down to a few stray pieces of Laffy Taffy* and Tootsie Rolls, it can mean only one thing: It's time for film awards season!
Which films will contend for the Oscars' biggest prize in March? To find out, we have surveyed industry experts, calculated the Metascores, and examined the top performing films at this year's major film festivals to come up with a list of 15 potential best picture contenders from 2022, plus more than a dozen bonus wildcards. In a welcome change, this year's best picture slate could include multiple films that you've heard of—in fact, it could include some of the year's most successful films at the box office. So let the guessing game begin ...
* Please take our Laffy Taffy.
What is it? A streaming sequel to the critically acclaimed 2019 hit Knives Out that returns writer-director Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig's Detective Benoit Blanc but sends the latter to investigate a new mystery in Greece involving an otherwise all-new cast (that includes Edward Norton, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe, and Ethan Hawke, among others).
Why is it a contender? The previous movie was a major crowd-pleaser—and a major hit—and reviews for the sequel have been just as good, setting expectations high. And Netflix's other potential contenders this year have turned out to be far more mediocre than expected, suggesting that the streamer will mount a major FYC campaign for Glass Onion, its best chance at a best picture nomination.
What are its chances? Maybe 50-50, at best. One major argument against a nomination: The first Knives Out wasn't nominated. (And it's not like that film faced tougher competition: Two of the nine best picture nominees that year weren't even positively reviewed.) Many experts have the sequel on the cusp of cracking the field but are reluctant to commit to a solid prediction.
When can I see it? A limited, awards-qualifying theatrical run beginning November 23rd will be followed by the film's Netflix debut exactly one month later.