10 Bold Film Predictions For 2016

6. Mad Max: Fury Road Will Win The Oscar For Best Picture

Calling it now. Despite the deluge of real-life stories and biopics like Steve Jobs, Carol and Bridge Of Spies, George Miller's post-apocalyptic car chase film will beat out the other contenders and come away with the top prize. In 2009, the Academy expanded its number of Best Picture nominations from five to ten. There were a couple reasons for this, but many saw the move as a response to the recurrent criticism that the Academy was snubbing blockbuster films that were swiftly increasing in quality (The Dark Knight, released in 2008, was one of the big examples that was bandied about). It seems like 2016 is the year when this expansion will actually pay off. For a start, none of the current non-blockbuster contenders have really taken the Best Picture lead. In fact, from a critical perspective, films like Alejandro Inarritu's The Revenant and Todd Haynes Carol have failed to garner as much critical legitimacy as expected. With no stand-out currently in the running, opportunity has finally met quality. Mad Max: Fury Road will bag the Academy Award for Best Picture.