Has Netflix’s Long Journey to Win Best Picture Finally Arrived With ‘Emilia Pérez?’
Is the Netflix Oscar drought finally about to end?
The streamer has long been chasing the elusive Academy Award for best picture. After a series of near misses, 2024 might just be the year the streaming giant claims the coveted prize — thanks to Jacques Audiard’s critically lauded crime musical “Emilia Pérez.”
More from Variety
The Spanish-language drama premiered to fanfare at Cannes and has a star-studded cast, including Zoe Salda?a, Selena Gomez, Karla Sofía Gascón and Adriana Paz. The bold narrative, riveting performances and groundbreaking representation garnered critical acclaim, leading to a shared best actress prize for the four stars. Some pundits believe “Emilia” has the goods to go the way of Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite,” which in 2020 became the first non-English-language film to win best picture. “Emilia” is also France’s submission for international feature, which further positions it as a viable Oscar darling.
Netflix’s pursuit of the Academy’s top prize has been an ongoing saga. Films like “Roma” (2018), “The Power of the Dog” (2021) and “All Quiet on the Western Front” (2022) have come tantalizingly close, proving the streamer’s prowess in courting the Academy’s attention.
However, while Netflix has dominated the nomination tallies since 2019, it has had less success winning major categories. Directors Alfonso Cuarón (“Roma”) and Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”) claimed historic directing honors, but aside from those, the streamer’s biggest win in a top-tier category remains Laura Dern’s best supporting actress award for “Marriage Story” (2019).
So why hasn’t Netflix won best picture yet?
Simply put, it’s still about the movies, no matter how much campaigning is done (though that helps). Past contenders like “Roma” and “Mank” were part of an era when auteurs were given carte blanche to make ambitious projects, which resulted in divided reactions from industry voters. The preferential ballot system in place for best picture has not benefited these opuses’ chances of winning.
“I’ve worked on movies that I’ve felt so strongly would win early in a season,” one veteran strategist tells Variety. “And at the last minute it would all fall apart for one reason or another. You have to be able to adapt and bring it over the finish line.”
Netflix’s closest races were with “Roma” and “The Power of the Dog” — the most nominated films of their respective years — but neither could clinch the win. And no studio wants to play second fiddle. The distinction of being the first streamer to receive the top honor was ripped from Netflix when Apple swooped in with “CODA” in 2022.
The competitive dynamic among streamers has sharpened Netflix’s hunger. In a similar race on the television front, Hulu surprised the industry when it became the first streamer to win a best drama Emmy with “The Handmaid’s Tale” in 2017. Four years later, Netflix turned around and propelled “The Crown” to a historic night, when the series became the first drama to sweep the major Emmy categories.
This year, in a typical display of Oscar might, Netflix is dividing its resources among multiple titles. Alongside “Emilia Pérez,” debut director Malcolm Washington’s adaptation of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” is generating awards buzz, particularly for supporting actress Danielle Deadwyler. Pablo Larraín’s biopic “Maria,” starring Oscar winner Angelina Jolie as legendary opera singer Maria Callas, also is vying for recognition.
And let’s not overlook the competition outside Netflix’s stable. Sean Baker’s dramedy “Anora” — featuring a breakout performance from Mikey Madison — and Brady Corbet’s historical epic “The Brutalist,” starring Adrien Brody, are steadily gaining momentum, making this year’s race especially unpredictable.
All this comes amid a period of transition for Netflix. Early in 2024, film chairman Scott Stuber departed to start his own media venture. His exit followed months of upheaval in the entertainment industry, with strikes and production delays shaking up Hollywood. That didn’t leave many options to steer into the Oscar space. So “Emilia,” which Netflix bought out of Cannes, remains its best bet.
It’s only a matter of time before the streaming titan cracks the code. Perhaps this year, it holds the winning combination.
Below are this week’s Oscar predictions (in alphabetical order) in all 23 categories. For comprehensive rankings, go to each category page, which will be updated throughout the weekend.
Current Oscars Tracking
(Oct. 24, 2024)
Best Picture
“Anora”
“Blitz”
“The Brutalist”
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Gladiator II”
“The Room Next Door”
“Wicked”
Director
Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”
Edward Berger, “Conclave”
Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”
Ridley Scott, “Gladiator II”
Denis Villeneuve, “Dune: Part Two”
Actor
Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”
Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”
Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”
Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”
Paul Mescal, “Gladiator II”
Actress
Angelina Jolie, “Maria”
Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”
Mikey Madison, “Anora”
Saoirse Ronan, “The Outrun”
Tilda Swinton, “The Room Next Door”
Supporting Actor
Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”
Clarence Maclin, “Sing Sing”
Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”
Stanley Tucci, “Conclave”
Denzel Washington, “Gladiator II”
Supporting Actress
Danielle Deadwyler, “The Piano Lesson”
Ariana Grande, “Wicked”
Saoirse Ronan, “Blitz”
Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”
Zoe Salda?a, “Emilia Pérez”
Original Screenplay
“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“A Real Pain”
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
“September 5”
Adapted Screenplay
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“The Room Next Door”
“Sing Sing”
Animated Feature
“Inside Out 2”
“Memoir of a Snail”
“Piece by Piece”
“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”
“The Wild Robot”
Production Design
“Blitz”
“The Brutalist”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Gladiator II”
“Wicked”
Cinematography
“The Brutalist”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Gladiator II”
“Nosferatu”
Costume Design
“Blitz”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Gladiator II”
“Nosferatu”
“Wicked”
Film Editing
“Anora”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Gladiator II”
Makeup and Hairstyling
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Saturday Night”
“The Substance”
“Wicked”
Sound
“Blitz”
“The Brutalist”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Gladiator II”
Visual Effects
“Dune: Part Two”
“Gladiator II”
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
“Mufasa: The Lion King”
“Wicked”
Original Score
“The Brutalist”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Gladiator II”
“The Room Next Door”
“The Wild Robot”
Original Song
“Winter Coat” from “Blitz”
“Mi Camino” from “Emilia Pérez”
“Beyond” from “Moana 2”
“The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight”
“Harper and Will Go West” from “Will & Harper”
Documentary Feature
“Black Box Diaries”
“Dahomey”
“Daughters”
“No Other Land”
“Sugarcane”
International Feature
“Dahomey” from Senegal
“Emilia Pérez” from France
“Grand Tour” from Portugal
“I’m Still Here” from Brazil
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” from Germany
Animated Short
“Above Ground”
“An Almost Christmas Story”
“A Guest From Elsewhere”
“Maybe Elephants”
“Remember Us”
Documentary Short
“Chasing Roo”
“Denial”
“The Final Copy of Ilon Specht”
“Julia’s Stepping Stones”
“Wings of Dust”
Live Action Short
“Anuja”
“Bogotá Story”
“Motherland”
“1Up”
“Say Hi After You Die”
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.