‘Black Panther' Poised To Become An Oscars Heavyweight

“Black Panther” has, in a way, already been the Oscars.

Much of the film’s cast was eagerly highlighted at March’s ceremony: a welcome splash of blockbuster luster at an Academy Awards that largely lacked it. “Black Panther” had at the time already been in theaters for a few weeks, leading host Jimmy Kimmel to note:

“This is a night for positivity and our plan is to shine a light on a group of outstanding and inspiring films, each and every one of which got crushed by ‘Black Panther’ this weekend,” said Kimmel while much of the audience either laughed or winced. (On Oscar Sunday alone, “Black Panther” grossed $19.9 million.)

As Hollywood’s awards season properly gets under way, “Black Panther” is poised to return to the Academy Awards, but this time as a nominee — and potentially a major one. Ryan Coogler’s superhero sensation has already notched countless records, pulverized boxoffice myths and set new marks for inclusivity. And now, “Black Panther” is in line to shatter Oscar norms, too.

All of this year’s contenders have by now screened, and Oscar prognosticators generally have “Black Panther” in, comfortably, as a best picture nominee. Both the pundit survey “Gurus of Gold” and Hollywood Reporter awards analyst Scott Feinberg place “Black Panther” fifth, behind front-runners “A Star Is Born,” “Roma,” “Green Book” and “The Favourite.” Gold Derby slots “Black Panther” in at No. 7, still easily within the category’s range of up to 10 nominees.

Much is still in flux in the Oscar race ahead of Thursday morning’s Golden Globes nominations. But unless something drastic happens, “Black Panther” will next month become the first comic book film to be nominated for best picture and easily Marvel Studios’ most significant Oscar contender ever.