10 Reason Mad Max: Fury Road Should Win Best Picture
9. It's Not Oscar Bait
The Oscars are a cynical business. Winning an Academy Award earns a movie more than just bragging rights; it could mean the difference between flopping and turning a profit. According to an article published by The Business Insider, a movies box office revenue increases by 35.6% after an Oscar nomination, and jumps up another 21.7% if it wins the gold. Some productions even bank on this Oscar bump to keep them in the black. Its widely acknowledged that the Academy tends to favour certain cinematic subjects and themes; period pieces, historical tragedies and message movies are all sure bets to land a nomination. When a movie purposefully tries to court Academy voters by catering to their tastes, cynics dub it Oscar bait but it's mostly because it actually works to catch nominations. Theres not a trace of cynical, awards-grubbing calculation in any frame of Fury Road; it managed to earn Oscar praise while being a sci-fi action summer blockbuster, which is the type of film the Academy often overlooks. Doing undeniably great work Academy voters couldnt ignore without any concerns of pandering is a major achievement, and Miller should be honoured for that.
