Phase Four has kicked off a new era within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only has it brought new heroes like Shang-Chi to the screen, but it's also given Marvel its first Emmy win thanks to WandaVision.
For years, Marvel's movies have struggled to move past just the technical categories at major awards ceremonies. Black Panther almost made history by winning Best Picture at the 2018 Academy Awards but was ultimately beaten by Green Book.
Marvel may get another shot at Oscar gold this year thanks to Chloé Zhao's Eternals. Zhao is coming off an Oscar win herself this year for best director, but can she continue her winning streak with Eternals?
Industry Experts Reveal Eternals' Oscar Chances
The 94th Academy Awards won't take place until March 2022, but industry experts are already weighing up which films will be in contention.
In its analysis, Variety pointed to Chloé Zhao possibly being a contender again next season, but also said many aren't expecting Eternals to factor into the Oscars race.
In its official predictions, the outlet ranked Zhao as 23rd in contention for Best Director for Eternals. Kenneth Branagh (Belfast), Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog), Denis Villeneuve (Dune), and Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard) were Variety's top four predictions.
Variety ranked Eternals 26th in its Best Picture predictions list with the top four contenders going to Belfast, The Power of the Dog, Dune, and King Richard.
Eternals may have a shot at the Best Adapted Screenplay award and Variety's predictions put it at 12th in contention with the top four being The Power of the Dog, The Lost Daughter, Nightmare Alley, and The Tender Bar.
Lastly, Marvel has always had a good history within the Visual Effects category which is likely why Variety placed Eternals as 2nd in contention for the award. Dune is currently the top contender, followed by Eternals and The Matrix Resurrections; meanwhile, another Marvel outing in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sits at fourth.
Will Eternals Win Marvel Another Oscar?
Given the success of Black Panther and WandaVision, there's no reason Marvel shouldn't aim for an Academy Award with Eternals, and it looks like that's exactly what the studio is doing.
It was recently announced that Eternals would close out the Rome Film Festival, making it the first Marvel movie to appear at a major festival prior to its premiere. International film festivals are breeding grounds for Oscar winners, so it looks like this is the first step in Marvel's plan to push Eternals towards awards success.
While Variety's predictions don't hold Eternals very highly in contention for some major awards, there are plenty of reasons it could climb the ranks.
Eternals already has Oscar-winning talent both in front of and behind the camera thanks to Zhao and cast members like Angelina Jolie, which places it in a strong position. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige also claimed Zhao's pitch for Eternals was one of the best he'd ever heard, which could make it quite the powerhouse contender if Zhao pulls off her vision for the film.
If nothing else, we'll likely be seeing Eternals at the Oscars in the Visual Effects category, which is still a huge win for the film.
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