“Wicked: For Good” got a big bucket of water poured over its witchy head on Thursday morning.
“It’s melting! It’s melting!,” viewers shrieked during the 2026 Oscar nominations announcement in Beverly Hills as it became apparent that the big-budget musical sequel was going to be totally shut out.
Oof. Last year’s celebrated first part scored a massive 10 — including best picture, actress and supporting actress. “For Good”? Good God.
Nominators felt loathing, unadulterated loathing for Universal’s humongous loser.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” didn’t make it into best picture like its predecessors did either. But at least James Cameron’s third blue-alien epic eked out some craft nods. The academy still muttered “I see you,” albeit much less gusto than before.
While boffo franchises were in the crosshairs, Thursday’s list didn’t completely blackball blockbusters.
Warner Bros.’ original horror movie “Sinners,” which grossed $368 million globally, made history with an all-time-high 16 nominations. That’s two more than “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and, LOL, “La La Land.”
And Apple’s popular hotrod film “F1” ($631 million) starring Brad Pitt revved up with four, including best picture.
Cinephiles online were disgusted that such an appealing movie crashed their prestige party. Popcorn entertainment in — gasp — the English language?! Get over it, nerds.
And, anyway, the film from “Top Gun: Marverick” director Joseph Kosinski has no shot at winning. Heck, I’d reckon seven best picture candidates (“Frankenstein,” “Train Dreams,” “Sentimental Value,” “F1,” “The Secret Agent,” “Marty Supreme” and “Bugonia”) are all cinematic Marianne Williamsons.
“Sinners,” though, possibly could pull it off. Ryan Coogler’s movie had been losing steam in the race to Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” with Leonardo DiCaprio and even, to some extent, modest-but-shattering “Hamnet.”
But breaking the nominations record should pump some lifeblood into the vampire flick at a critical time. What was a smooth coronation for “One Battle” is turning into a bout.
“Sinners” is in the ring with PTA’s behemoth, an action-packed satire with a not-too-shabby 13 nods. Despite flopping at the box office, it’s won enough awards to fill a survivalist’s bunker.
But Thursday exposed some tiny cracks. Its lead actress Chase Infiniti didn’t get in, for example.
Coogler is also largely responsible for the fantastic “Creed” films. Maybe he’s got a Rocky Balboa on his hands here. Whether “One Battle” is Ivan Drago or Apollo Creed remains to be seen.
Some actors besides Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were left in the dust. Paul Mescal from “Hamnet” was notably absent from supporting actor. Of course, that movie belongs to its star Jessie Buckley.
George Clooney and Adam Sandler, the stars of Netflix’s somnambulic showbiz comedy “Jay Kelly,” slithered into their Golden Globes categories in January but face-planted at the Oscars.
Sandler, by the way, has been screwed over by the Academy for years, after superb work in “Punch Drunk Love” and “Uncut Gems.” At this point, “you can do it!” is becoming a cruel lie.
Nowhere to be seen, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson of “Smashing Machine” will surely now make eight more “Jumanji”s.
Award season’s heavy hitters were mostly present and accounted for. Buckley and Rose Byrne (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”) are both vying for best actress. So is Kate Hudson — for the first time since “Almost Famous” a quarter century ago. In “Song Sung Blue,” Hudson puts on a Wisconsin accent so thick, it’s like she’s made of cheese curds. Emma Stone (“Bugonia”) seems to have a reserved slot.
Yet Irish Buckley, who was so feckin’ charming at the Golden Globes, wins.
A fun complication was thrown into the best actor race, which has so far been a fight to the death between Timothée Chalamet (“Marty Supreme”) as a dreamer and DiCaprio as a stoner.
Enter: Ethan Hawke as a drinker. The “Blue Moon” star is giving a career-best performance as witty, alcoholic Broadway composer Lorenz Hart.
His stark physical and vocal transformation in the role is just the sort of thing voters go gaga for. Think Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill or Brendan Fraser in “The Whale.” And at 55 years old with four nods, he’s never won once. “Blue Moon” is a small movie, but Hawke could be a factor.
Thirty-year-old Chalamet still likely emerges victorious for his supernova turn. But momentum across the board has the potential to shift between now and the never-ending night of March 15.
How Shakespearean.
Perhaps Timmy, who’s on top of the world, should beware the Ides of March.
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