Meet This Year's Best Picture Contenders
Which films from 2019 could contend for a best picture Oscar in early 2020? We have surveyed industry experts, reviewed the reviews, and examined the top performers at this year's major film festivals to come up with a list of 20-ish potential contenders. (They're listed alphabetically in the gallery above.) Of course, the ultimate best picture nominee list will include 10 or fewer titles (likely fewer), so not every one of these films will secure a nomination—but it's likely that all of the eventual nominees will be found in our list. The biggest wildcards are the handful of films that have yet to be screened for anyone; we'll point those out as we get to them.
What is it? A somewhat controversial comic book movie depicting the origin story of Batman villain The Joker, played by Joaquin Phoenix.
Why is it a contender? It was the surprise winner at this year's Venice International Film Festival.
What are its chances? Its record-setting success at the box office—it's the highest-grossing R-rated film, ever—certainly doesn't hurt, but only one comic book movie (Black Panther) has ever received a best picture nomination, and that one had far better reviews—and much less negative publicity—than Joker does. Also, a Venice Golden Lion win often doesn't translate into an Oscar best picture nomination, though it has in each of the past two years.
When can I see it? It's in theaters now.
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