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 biopic about rock icon Elvis Presley (played by Austin Butler) that's also the first film in nine years from director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!).
Why is it a contender? Butler's performance is terrific—so much so that it makes up for some of the film's flaws. The Academy loves biopics, and this one also stars Academy favorite Tom Hanks as Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker (albeit with an accent that didn't work for many reviewers). It's also one of this year's box office hits, grossing just under $300 million. As far as music biopics go, only Bohemian Rhapsody—a best picture nominee, naturally—has grossed more.
What are its chances? It's not a lock, but chances are better than not that Elvis will be a best picture nominee. Critics were slightly underwhelmed by the film, but that didn't stop the aforementioned Bohemian Rhapsody—which scored 15 points lower—from getting a nomination
When can I see it? HBO Max subscribers can currently stream it for free, while everyone else can rent or purchase Elvis on Blu-ray, DVD, or digital services.
| Stream On |
|
| Stream On |
|
| Stream On |
|
| Stream On |
|
| Stream On |
|
| Stream On |
|