Sony Pictures and Marvel are launching a campaign for a Best Picture nomination for Spider-Man: Brand New Day at the 99th annual Academy Awards, according to deadline.com.
The fourth Tom Holland-led entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at Sony has pulled in $959 million domestically, as reported by Screen Realm. It is the highest-grossing release in North American box office history.
The film sits $41 million shy of becoming the first domestic billion-dollar movie. It holds a 90% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film faces steep odds with awards prognosticators. Gold Derby ranked the blockbuster 36th with a 0.46% chance of securing a nomination.
Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group chairman and CEO Tom Rothman is personally spearheading the push among Academy members.
Sony is rolling out an extensive campaign to bridge the gap. According to pixeltwelve.com, the studio has hired awards consultants. Voter screenings begin around Thanksgiving.
The studio arranged filmmaker Q&As. Special screenings are planned internationally in London, Paris, Madrid, Copenhagen, Sydney, Rome, Mexico City, Berlin, and Tokyo, alongside events in Los Angeles and New York.
The studio plans a theatrical re-release before the end of the year. It may feature unseen footage.
Rothman challenges the prevailing awards wisdom when making his case to skeptics.
“The Academy is meant to recognize greatness. So, to be honest, I think it’s greatness. I think it’s received wisdom. If there aren’t people thinking about it, we’re gonna do what we can just to make people think about it,” Rothman said.
Tom Rothman told Deadline, as reported by AOL. He said,
“Are you telling me that there are 10 films this year that are better than this film?”
Rothman said that the picture stands apart from traditional franchise entries due to its structural and emotional approach.
Destin Daniel Cretton directed the movie. Rothman said that Cretton previously directed “Short Term 12.”
The movie centers on deeply personal stakes rather than typical comic-book spectacle.
“This is really the first of these kinds of movies that I can think of that does not climax in a giant battle. In this movie, there is no giant action sequence at the end,” Rothman said. A quiet finale shows two young characters sitting on the edge of a bed sharing their deepest pain.
Rothman called it a “super person movie.” He cited the humanist direction put forward by Cretton, alongside performances from Tom Holland and Zendaya.
Live-action Spider-Man films have struggled to break past technical categories at the Oscars. Out of eight previous live-action releases from Sony since 2002, only 2004’s “Spider-Man 2” and 2021’s “No Way Home” earned nominations, both restricted to Visual Effects.
Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther” broke into the Best Picture race in 2019. Todd Phillips’ DC film “Joker” earned 11 nominations including Best Picture.
Superheroes remain rare contenders in the top category. Nominations for the 99th Academy Awards will be announced on January 21, 2027, ahead of the ceremony on March 14.
