Oscars predictions: How many Oscars will Black Panther win?

Does the critically acclaimed superhero flick Black Panther have what it takes to take home Oscar gold?

Superhero movies have come a long way in the last two decades. Ever since Sam Rami’s Spider-Man franchise burst on to the scene in 2002, fans were arguing about the validity of the genre in the larger scope of cinema. It wasn’t until Heath Ledger’s performance in 2008’s The Dark Knight that the genre started to receive recognition from the Academy Awards.

Flash forward to 2019 and we are neck deep in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and superhero movies are coming out almost every month. Last February, audiences were treated with Black Panther, the first superhero film to feature a prominently black cast. To say the film was met with positive reactions would be an understatement.

The film was an outright cultural phenomenon. Fans were dressing up as different characters, merchandise was flying off shelves, strangers were passing by one another saying “Wakanda Forever”, and people were flocking back to the theater for second, third, and even fourth viewings. This enthusiasm launched worldwide earnings to a whopping 1.35 Billion dollars!

Not only did fans love the film, but critics loved it as well, praising the way that director Ryan Coogler was able to use the genre to tell such an important and timely story about cultural identity, toxic masculinity, and even gender dynamics all through the lens of a Marvel movie. Not only that, but the film was full of funny interesting characters, stunning action sequences, and an incredible soundtrack and score.

The academy awards simply could not overlook the impact that Black Panther had over the last year and so the film was nominated for seven awards including Best Achievement in Musical Score, Best Original Song, Best Achievement in Costume Design, Best Achievement in Production Design, Best Achievement in Sound Editing, and Best Achievement in Sound Mixing.

The film’s biggest nomination, however, comes with its Best Picture nomination, the first time a superhero film has ever been given the honor. Even The Dark Knight was snubbed for Best Picture, which ultimately led to the academy widening the number of nominees to ten the following year.

The real question is how many of these awards will the film actually win?

I personally think that the film is a shoo-in for Best Achievement in Musical Score. Composer Ludwig Görannson created an incredible score for the film that incorporates different African styles as well as modern hip hop influences with the help of rapper Kendrick Lamar.  The score also just received a grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for a Visual Media.

Best original song is another story. Any other year the smash hit “All of the Stars” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA would be an easy pick for the winner. This year gave us the incredible powerhouse that is “Shallow” from A Star is Born and I don’t really see any of the songs beating that one.

As for the technical awards, I think the film has a good chance at winning costume and production design however the Yorgos Lanthimos film The Favourite may squeeze by in both of those categories. Sound editing and mixing could go to Black Panther, but I think that Roma will emerge victorious with how immersive the sound work was on that film.

The biggest question is does the film have what it takes to win Best Picture and my answer is…maybe? This year, more than any other, is a really hard year to predict what the front runner is. All of the films feel like they have the same chances to me.

Generally, during award season, we start to see the different guilds and award shows start to give their picks for the best film and usually there is one that starts to rack up awards and that is your best bet for the top academy award. This year has been all over the place.

The Golden Globes went to Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book, the BAFTA went to The Favourite, and the Writers Guild chose two films that weren’t even nominated for The Academy’s best picture, Eighth Grade and Can You Ever Forgive Me. Black Panther did take the award for best ensemble cast at the SAG Awards, so the film still has a fitting chance.

Will Black Panther be a winner on Sunday night? Only time will tell. In the meantime, the film is streaming on Netflix right now! Let us know what you think in the comments below.