trending Market Intelligence /marketintelligence/en/news-insights/trending/upnj4ztvvgpa3q22ff5tta2 content esgSubNav
In This List

Fox Searchlight shapes 2018 Academy Awards show with studio-leading 6 Oscars

Blog

Price wars in India: Disney+ Hotstar vs. Amazon Prime Video vs. Netflix

Blog

Volume of Investment Research Reports on Inflation Increased in Q4 2021

Blog

Using ESG Analysis to Support a Sustainable Future

Podcast

Next in Tech | Episode 48: The everything that is Industrial IoT


Fox Searchlight shapes 2018 Academy Awards show with studio-leading 6 Oscars

The spotlight was on Fox Searchlight Pictures on Oscar night and it shone brightly.

21st Century Fox Inc.'s Fox Searchlight took home six trophies from the 90th Academy Awards on March 4, driven by "The Shape of Water," which took home four, notably for best picture and best director. Fox Searchlight's "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," also nominated for best picture, scored two statues: one for Frances McDormand as best actress and one for Sam Rockwell as best supporting actor.

While Fox Searchlight — which presumably will become part of Walt Disney Co.'s studio roster if its deal to acquire myriad 21st Century Fox assets passes government scrutiny — enjoyed a big night, it fell short of Summit Entertainment’s eight-Oscar haul in 2017, comprised of six awards for "La La Land," and a two for "Hacksaw Ridge."

SNL Image

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. was the runner-up in 2018 with five Oscar wins: World War II epic "Dunkirk," earned three Oscars for film editing, sound editing and sound mixing; while "Blade Runner 2049" took home two trophies, for cinematography and visual effects.

Focus Features brought home three Oscars. Gary Oldman won best actor for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in "Darkest Hour," which also was lauded for makeup and hair-styling. "Phantom Thread," a film about a dressmaker and his muse, was fashioned with the Oscar for costume design.

Sony Pictures Classic scored an adapted screenplay win for "Call Me By Your Name" and best foreign-language film for "A Fantastic Woman," a Chilean film about transgender waitress and aspiring singer. Disney was the other studio to earn a pair of Oscars: Disney's "Coco" was named best animated feature, while "Remember Me" was the best original song.

A year after taking home its first two Oscars for "Manchester by the Sea" — for best actor and best original screenplay — Amazon.com Inc. had a single nomination, best screenplay for "The Big Sick," and no wins this year.

Netflix Inc. which also claimed its first Oscar in 2017 for best documentary short for "The White Helmets," grabbed eight nominations in 2018, including four for "Mudbound," a historical drama film about two men's struggles in rural Mississippi after World War II. While "Mudbound" did not take home any awards this year, the streamer did secure the best documentary feature Oscar for "Icarus," which looked into the Russian athletic doping scandal. The win doubled Netflix's historical Oscar total.

Also on the sports front, Kobe Bryant added an Oscar to his five NBA titles, as "Dear Basketball," an adaptation of his retirement poem that was originally published on The Players Tribune, dunked the animated short feature award. Bryant narrated the film, which was directed by former Disney animator Glen Keane.

The short's triumph didn't resonate with some members of the #MeToo and Time's Up movements who are fighting against sexual harassment and assault. Bryant was arrested in 2003 after a 19-year-old female employee at a Colorado hotel accused him of rape. Bryant said the sex was consensual, and the case was dropped after his accuser was unwilling to testify. A civil suit was settled out of court.

The 2018 awards show was the first in the wake of producer and Oscar-winner Harvey Weinstein being dismissed from Weinstein Co. LLC studio and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences following numerous sexual assault and harassment allegations by women. Actresses Ashley Judd, Annabella Sciorra and Salma Hayek, all Weinstein accusers, took the stage together and spoke about changes in the industry, and equality and diversity efforts in Hollywood.

As she accepted her best actress award, McDormand also took some time to stress the need for greater diversity in film, asking all the female nominees in attendance to stand up and encouraging film financiers to invite them to offices later discuss future projects. "Look around, ladies and gentlemen, because we all have stories to tell and projects we need financed," she said.

A full list of this year's Oscar nominees and winners is available here.

SNL Image