'Foxcatcher' & 'Grace of Monaco' Quit Oscars Race

In a rather dramatic week, the pack of Oscar contenders is beginning to take shape, or rather slim down, as two films have recently been pushed back until next year, therefore putting them out of the Oscars race. Firstly Foxcatcher, a period drama about Olympic wrestling siblings Mark and Dave Schultz, played by Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo respectively. With a cast also including Sienna Miller, Vanessa Redgrave, and Steve Carell, and directed by Oscar nominated Capote helmer Bennett Miller, this seemed primed for an Oscar campaign. But in a statement from Sony Pictures Classics quoted on Variety, they claim “SPC supports the decision of the filmmakers to allow for more time to finish the film”. Could this be code for “there are too many strong films this year and we’re lagging in the publicity race”?

Secondly, The Weinstein Company announced earlier this week that Grace of Monaco, a film tipped by many to feature among next year’s nominees, would not be released until next year. Nicole Kidman stars in biopic of Grace Kelly but, according to BBC News, the film has been met with some resistance from Prince Albert II over its historical accuracy. Not that that’s stopped a film before, but I guess the Weinsteins already have an abundance of potential Oscar winners on their slate this year, so rather than generate any bad press it makes sense just to push the film back.

The problem now is these films have been burdened with doubt. Just look at The Great Gatsby – it was suspected to campaign last year but its release was delayed until summer 2013, which is not only dreadful timing for any potential Oscar contender, but when a film’s opening is publicly delayed it hardly creates a good springboard on which to promote the film. So will Foxcatcher or Grace of Monaco be able to compete next year, even with an Autumn/Winter release? Maybe, but they are now almost certainly condemned. Expect the focus of the promotion to be less on awards and more on a healthy box office return.