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 belated sequel to the hit 1986 fighter-pilot action film Top Gun that returns star Tom Cruise. (And maybe the salvation of the post-pandemic movie exhibition industry.)
Why is it a contender? For one thing, it's the highest-grossing movie of 2022. In fact, it's the highest-grossing movie of Cruise's entire career, which is no mean feat. And it's not just popular—it's an excellent film, with critics scoring the Joseph Kosinski-directed Maverick nearly 30 points higher than its predecessor.
What are its chances? While it's not a lock—and being released so far in advance of awards season doesn't help—Maverick looks much likelier than not to receive a best picture nomination, though strong showings by the Avatar and Black Panther sequels—which will be fresher in voters' memories—could diminish its chances a bit. (Having three big-budget box office hits in the best picture field seems like a stretch, though there's no rule saying it can't happen.)
When can I see it? You already did! Maybe even twice. (But in case you didn't, you can find it now on DVD/Blu-ray or the digital storefront of your choice.)
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