It has actually just been one month given that the 96th Academy Awards ended, however today it appears like the race for the 97th has (un)formally started.
State what???
Although Emmy season remains in full blast (Deadline’s two-day Contenders Television live and livestream occasion happens this weekend), it’s never ever prematurely to begin a brand-new Oscar season. That is why I took a trip to Las Vegas today to squeeze in CinemaCon– that film orgy convention of what studios have in shop for us– in between last Sunday’s roaring Bruce Springsteen show at the Forum and last night’s rocking “Keep The Party Going: Jimmy Buffett Tribute” at the Hollywood Bowl.
By the method, I identified more Hollywood heavyweights in Bowl boxes Thursday night than even at CinemaCon, consisting of Ted Sarandos, David Zaslav, Bob Iger, Jennifer Salke, Frank Marshall (even playing guitar on phase in the Margaritaville ending) among others, and all sort of stars from Jane Fonda to Woody Harrelson to Harrison Ford (yes, while his look in the brand-new Captain America film was being promoted by Disney at CinemaCon). All were on hand viewing legends like Paul McCartney, Eagles, Jackson Browne, Jon Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow and many others doing musical homages to the late, fantastic Buffett.
Back to Oscars.
Not just was CinemaCon occurring today, however in the middle of it the lineup for the Cannes Film Festival in May was revealed. And simply to include a cherry on top, the Academy made it main that the 97th Annual Academy Awards will happen on Sunday, March 2, 2025.
All that is great enough for me to begin the speculation.
Think about simply a year back at CinemaCon we saw the starts of the projects for the similarity ultimate Best Picture winner Oppenheimer, with Christopher Nolan leading the Universal discussion no less; plus ultimate candidates like Barbie, Killers of the Flower Moon, The Holdovers and more being showcased to theater owners and press.
And at about the very same time, Cannes was revealing a lineup that consisted of ultimate Best Picture candidates like the abovementioned Flower Moon, Anatomy of a Fall, and The Zone of Interest. All of this represented some sort of total change in the typical knowledge that Oscar season does not truly begin up until the fall celebrations start, with possibly a soft start at Cannes some years (like 2019, when both Parasite and As soon as Upon a Time in Hollywood premiered) Now it appears year-round. No rest for the tired.
I constantly make it an indicate go to CinemaCon to see what I can see and perhaps get a couple of early ideas regarding what this season will appear like. Even Academy CEO Bill Kramer was on hand in Las Vegas,