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With all of its acclaim and zeitgeist-tapping luck, The Martian also looks to have some long legs. And another factor must be considered: Do we have a Best Picture nominee here? After all, Gravity opened big with similarly great reviews and it earned a Best Picture nod and seven actual Oscars. And consider the two faces of the film: Despite being fixtures in the starry firmament, Damon has not won an acting Oscar2 and Scott has never won Best Director despite three nominations. The Academy loves a winner and would love an excuse to throw a mainstream studio film with a legitimate chance of winning in the mix, as opposed to another indie film that a tiny fraction of the American audience has been able to see in theaters.
My point here is not to handicap its awards potential, but to recognize that the film’s combination of good word-of-mouth and early success could kick off a virtuous Oscar circle: The Martian opened big, which makes it a serious Oscar contender, which makes everyone go see it, which makes it an even more serious Oscar contender. Whether the For Your Consideration campaigns are worth the expenditure is debatable, but with a mainstream, widely applauded hit like The Martian, all of that extra hype and buzz does generally translate to more money. And for once, it seems as if Hollywood’s broken system actually works.
