Laugh if you must, butDeadpool 2has officially entered theOscarsrace. 20th Century Fox has launched an official awards season campaign for the superhero movie sequel in the hopes of garnering some attention from The Academy. Fox is campaigning to getDeadpool 2nominated in virtually every major category, including Best Picture. Does this mean the movie has an actual shot at any Academy Award nominations? No, but the campaign is certainly real.
While this may sound a bit ridiculous on the surface, is it really all that outlandish?Deadpool 2was received very well by critics and audiences alike and comic book movies have become an increasingly serious genre within the Hollywood landscape.Logan scored a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nominationlast year and there is a very strong chance thatBlack Panthercould break the curse and become the first comic book movie to be nominated for Best Picture. So why not putDeadpool 2up for some awards recognition?
It’s worth remembering that Fox launched a similar “for your consideration” ad campaign for the first Deadpool in 2016. Ultimately, they failed to get any Oscar love, but the movie did well elsewhere.Deadpool earned two Golden Globe nominationsfor Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy and Ryan Reynolds for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy. The movie also scored some Critics Choice Awards as well.
There has beenincreased pressure on The Academyto make the Oscars more relevant to average moviegoers, as the telecast has suffered ratings drops in recent years. Part of that discussion involved the creation of a new category specifically to honor popular movies. The idea was wildly unpopular and was quickly rescinded. But something like that would have made it more likely for a movie likeDeadpool 2to actually get a major nomination.
Deadpool 2brought in an impressive $734 million at the global box office and Fox is looking to keep that hot streak alive with a PG-13 holiday-themed version of the movie hitting theaters on December 12 titled Once Upon a Deadpool, which features Fred Savage (unwillingly) reprising his role fromThe Princess Bride. So even if they can’t manage to score any Academy Award nominations, they can at least look forward to a little more cash at the box office. Be sure to check out a full list of the awards Fox is pursuing forDeadpool 2below.
