If you recall, films under the Disney umbrella got a respectable number of nominations in this year’s Oscars last February. True, only a lesser number became wins, but that’s beside the point. One of the Disney-affiliated nominees was Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther,†the first superhero film to get an actual Best Picture nomination (of a total 7, with 3 wins).
So, barring extreme circumstances, you’d all know that “Avengers: Endgame†premiered late last month and is now an unstoppable force in critics and box office. That it’s got strong reviews might factor into a recent action by Disney that might be the prelude to a major “Endgame†Academy Awards push.
Fandango managing editor Erik Davis noted on his Twitter page that Disney just held a screening of “Avengers: Endgame.†Why does this matter? It’s because the audience were members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. Yes, it’s the Oscars’ award-giving body themselves.
There was a big screening of #AvengersEndgame for Academy members this week. Early sign of a major Oscars push? Is Endgame Best Picture material?
I think it is. pic.twitter.com/HqZtOj8is7— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) May 2, 2019
Is the House of Mouse getting an early start towards pushing their 2019 films for nominations at the 92nd Oscars? The company might be encouraged by the Best Picture inclusion of “Black Panther†in 2018. But is “Avengers: Endgame†worthy of that beyond being making oodles of box-office money worldwide?
“Endgame†is the culmination of directors Joe and Anthony Russo’s work in the MCU franchise. This is indicated by a total lack of mid and post-credits teasers for the movie. The Russo brothers also noted that they’re steeping back from the MCU for a time, but haven’t ruled out a return someday. “Avengers: Endgame†is currently still running in cinemas.