There exists a stigma among fans and viewers when it comes to awards season. If the film or program you wanted to win a coveted award does indeed win one, you’re happy and it validates all of the hard work put in by the staff and crew working on said production. If it doesn’t win, then the award all of a sudden doesn’t matter or, as some would say, your favorite was snubbed. That’s a word that gets thrown around a lot. The superhero genre is certainly no stranger to this, but even with all of the films that have come out under his guidance, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige doesn’t seem to mind the lack of awards.
Not that he’s looking for it, either. The genre, like fantasy before it, often has a hard time cracking the code. Though Batman Forever was nominated for three Oscars in 1996, it did not win any. Since then, Heath Ledger won a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Oscar for The Dark Knight, Suicide Squad won an Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and more recently, James Mangold’s Logan was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. As for Marvel Studios, with all of its might and box office prowess, none of its films have walked home with a coveted Oscar — the most recent nomination being Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 for Best Visual Effects.Even now, many are looking for Black Panther to go home with an award, which is still an uphill climb. At the Produced By Conference, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige shrugged off the lack of awards, noting that there’s more to be gained in the goodwill of the fans:
“Maybe it’s easy to dismiss VFX or flying people or spaceships or billion dollar grosses. Hitchcock never won best director, so it’s very nice, but it doesn’t mean everything. I would much rather be in a room full of engaged fans.”
Indeed, having the backing and support of fans is integral to the success of a company, but it’s not entirely accurate that big budget spectacles and visual effects are dismissed. After all, way back in 2004, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. How many did it walk away with that night? Eleven. So fantasy and visual effects aren’t as easily dismissed as one may think, but perhaps comic book films — Marvel Studios not being any exception — may still have a ways to go. Until then, Kevin Feige is perfectly fine with the backing of the fan base.
What do you say? Do you agree with Kevin Feige’s words that it’s easy to dismiss visual effects or billion dollar grosses? Should Marvel Studios have earned an award at this point? Let us know in the comments below.
The most recent Marvel Studios film, Avengers: Infinity War, is in theaters now. The next installment, Ant-Man and the Wasp, is set to premiere in theaters on July 6, 2018.
Source: Produced By Conference
