Oscars 2022: 10 Fan Favourite Category Nominees Ranked From Least To Most Likely To Win

In their latest attempt to appear more relevant to the general public, the Academy announced the introduction of a Fan Favorite category for this year's Oscars.

It came off the back over the outcry from the likes of Kevin Smith and Jimmy Kimmel over the lack of awards recognition for Spider-Man: No Way Home. The nominations were made by Twitter users, who could nominate a film by tweeting their best film of the year alongside the hashtag #OscarsFanFavorite. The nominees were announced at the start of March, and the winning film will be announced at the ceremony on the 27th March.

Ironically, for something designed to show how "with it" the Academy was, it's demonstrated just how out of touch they are with the Wild West environment of social media. A cursory look at the ramshackle list of nominees throws up some interesting points. For one, Dune and Power of the Dog starring Timothée Chalamet and Benedict Cumberbatch respectively, have both already been nominated for multiple awards, including Best Picture. Maybe the Academy have their finger on the pulse after all?

Or, more likely, they severely underestimated the power of stan culture. As a result let's look through the most disparate list of Oscar nominations in quite some time, and attempt to work out who will emerge victorious.

Adapted from American photojournalist Eugene Smith's book, this Johnny Depp film about journalism, government negligence and the devastating impact of mercury poisoning on the Japanese coastal city of Minamata feels like prime Oscarbait. The flick was criticised for telling the story from a White Western perspective, though some reviews praised Depp's performance as a "return to form" and it's his involvement that has seen Minamata appear on the Fan Favorite list.

During the torturous legal proceedings that followed the breakdown of his marriage to Amber Heard, Depp has been supported by his loyal fans whom he calls "warriors" and "soldiers". They've shown their appreciation for the beleaguered actor by nominating him for the Oscar's Fan Favorite category alongside the hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp. However, the tribal nature of Twitter means that Minamata is the least likely film to win.

For his many fans, there are also people on Twitter who believe that Depp should be barred from film work due to domestic abuse allegations.