One of these sequels could make Oscars history: ‘Gladiator II,’ ‘Dune: Part Two,’ ‘Furiosa’
It’s a unique year for sequels and prequels at the Oscars. There are three films whose preceding installments won five or more trophies from the academy: “Dune: Part II,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” and “Gladiator II.” That opens the door for history to be made. If one or more of those films wins five times, it will be the first time in history that two films in the same franchise have won that many competitive prizes. For which film is that likeliest to happen? Scroll down to vote in our poll at the bottom of this post.
Even when you consider some of the most successful franchises of all time, none have accomplished the feat. “The Godfather” and “The Godfather: Part II” are the only film and sequel to both win Best Picture, but only one of them passed the five-Oscar mark. “Part II” prevailed six times, while the original “Godfather” only collected three trophies. The year of the first “Godfather,” the musical “Cabaret” ran the board with eight victories including Best Director (Bob Fosse), limiting the haul for the epic crime drama.
What about “Star Wars”? That franchise is about a dozen films deep, but while 1977’s “A New Hope” collected six trophies, none of the successive sci-fi films reached the same awards heights. “The Lord of the Rings” came closer. All three films were multiple Oscar winners, but only the third film, “The Return of the King,” won more than five (it collected a record-tying 11 awards). The first film, “The Fellowship of the Ring,” won four times, while the middle entry in the trilogy, “The Two Towers,” was a double champ.
So what do our odds say about this years three franchise films? According to the combined predictions of thousands of Gold Derby users as of this writing, “Dune: Part Two” is the strongest possibility. 2021’s “Part One” received 10 nominations and won six, coming away with prizes for its sound, visual effects, production design, score, editing, and cinematography. Now “Part Two” is on track for another 10 nominations, including Best Picture, but we only have it winning four times, for its makeup and hairstyling, production design, sound, and visual effects. That said, “Part Two” ranks second in three other fields: cinematography, costume design, and editing. So it has strong potential to hit the magic number.
Then there’s “Gladiator II.” The original 2000 film had 12 nominations and won five: Best Picture, Best Actor (Russell Crowe) and crafts awards for costume design, sound, and visual effects. The sequel is also a likely nominee for Best Picture, and we’re projecting five other nominations for the sword-and-sandals actioner. But it’s not currently positioned to win any of them, though we rank it second for production design and sound and third for costumes and visual effects. At the moment, racking up five awards looks like an uphill battle, though its odds may improve in various categories after the film opens.
As for “Furiosa,” Gold Derby users currently don’t expect it to perform anywhere near its predecessor, “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The earlier film had 10 nominations and six wins, but “Furiosa” may struggle just to get on the board. The only category where we’re predicting a nomination for it right now is Best Visual Effects, and even there it’s on the bubble. It’s possible the stigma of its disappointing box office performance will extend to its awards performance, despite strong reviews.
Ultimately, the Oscars are a zero sum game with only so many categories to go around, so chances are only one of the above films will be able to win five, if any. Which might it be? Let us know below.