Oscars 2023: With 11 nominations, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ tops list

Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan’s Everything Everywhere All at Once led the list of nominations at the 95th Academy Awards on Tuesday, with a total 11.

The multiverse-skipping sci-fi indie hit was among the 10 movies up for best picture. The others are The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fabelmans, Tar, Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, Elvis, All Quiet on the Western Front, Women Talking, and Triangle of Sadness.

A year after a streaming service won Hollywood’s top honour for the first time, big-screen spectacles are poised to dominate the Oscars this year. The nominations were announced Tuesday from the academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, by Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams.

Focus back on big-screen spectacles

Last year’s Oscars were dominated by streaming Apple TV+’s CODA, which won best picture. Netflix landed a leading 27 nominations. Movies that drew viewers to multiplexes after two years of pandemic make up many of this year’s top contenders.

At the front of the pack is The Banshees of Inisherin, Martin McDonagh’s Ireland-set dark comedy, which is set to score as many as four acting nods, including nominations for Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.

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Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans struggled to catch on with audiences, but the director’s autobiographical coming-of-age tale is set to land him his 20th Oscar nomination and eighth nod for best-director.

John Williams, his long-time composer, extended his record for the most Oscar nominations for a living person. Another nod for best score will give Williams his 53rd nomination, a number that trails only Walt Disney’s 59.

Nominations in popular categories

The nominees for best actress are Ana de Armas (Blonde), Cate Blanchett (Tar), Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie), Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans), Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once).

The nominees for best actor are Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Austin Butler (Elvis), Bill Nighy (Living), and Paul Mescal (Aftersun).

The nominees for best supporting actress are Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Hong Chau (The Whale), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once), and Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once).

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The nominees for best supporting actor are Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway), Judd Hirsch (The Fabelmans), Brendan Gleeson (Banshees on Inisherin), Barry Keoghan (Banshees of Inisherin), and Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once).

The nominees for international film are All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany), Argentina, 1985 (Argentina), Close (Belgium), EO (Poland), and The Quiet Girl (Ireland).

The nominees for original screenplay are Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fabelmans, Tar, and Triangle of Sadness.

The nominees for best original score are Volker Bertelmann (All Quiet on the Western Front); Justin Hurwitz (Babylon), Carter Burwell (The Banshees of Inisherin); Son Lux (Everything Everywhere All at Once), John Williams (The Fabelmans).

The nominees for best animated film are Guillermo del Toros Pinocchio, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Sea Beast, and Turning Red.

Concerns around movie business

Last year’s broadcast drew 15.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen, up 56% from the record-low audience of 10.5 million for the pandemic-marred 2021 telecast. This year, ABC is bringing back Jimmy Kimmel to host the March 12 ceremony, one that will surely be seen as a return to the site of the slap.

But larger concerns are swirling around the movie business. Last year saw flashes of triumphant resurrection for theatres, like the success of Top Gun: Maverick, after two years of pandemic. But partially due to a less steady stream of major releases, ticket sales for the year recovered only about 70% of pre-pandemic business. Regal Cinemas, the US’s second-largest chain, announced the closure of 39 cinemas this month.

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At the same time, storm clouds swept into the streaming world after years of once-seemingly boundless growth. Stocks plunged as Wall Street looked to streaming services to earn profits, not just add subscribers. A retrenchment has followed, as the industry again enters an uncertain chapter.

In stark contrast to last year’s Academy Awards, this year may see no streaming titles vying for the Oscars’ most sought-after award though the last spots in the 10-movie best-picture field remain up for grabs. Netflix’s best shots instead are coming in other categories, notably with animated film favourite Guillermo del Toros Pinocchio and the German submission, All Quiet on the Western Front.

(With agency inputs)