At this year’s Academy Awards, they’ll be presenting a new award, Oscars Fan Favorite, voted on by the public. The Oscars Fan Favorite gives a special highlight to the film with the most fervent fanbase.
An elite group of industry members invited to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences dole out the awards. They are coveted awards, and winners feel, rightfully so, a unique sense of pride for a job well done. But the Academy has always been reluctant to award certain types of movies, favoring “Oscar Bait.” As superhero movies have indisputably dominated the box office in recent years, there’s been increasing backlash when a critically acclaimed blockbuster like Spider-Man: No Way Home doesn’t even get a nod for special effects.
The Oscars, seemingly in a move to appease movie-goers, tweeted out instructions for fans on how to vote last month when they shared the special honor for the first time.
So just how did fans take place in this particular vote? Up to 20 times a day, fans could go to OscarsFanFavorite.com or use the hashtag #OscarsFanFavorite on Twitter and share their voice from Feb. 14 to March 3.
Of course — fans immediately began voting for the movie they felt was the best over the last year. It seems like 2021 was a particularly remarkable year for films, and it was hard to pick just one. However, that doesn’t mean that the comments section didn’t immediately highlight a few specific favorites.
Spider-Man: No Way Home was a clear front-runner with fans who flocked to theaters to see the film again and again. It was emotional, joyful, and incredibly well done.
Army of the Dead was another that fans adored, and with good reason. The action-packed zombie flick blew everyone’s minds in the best way.
Cinderella had viewers dancing and singing to social media to share their votes.
Jai Bhim also had several fans commenting on the powerful story about a man who goes missing in police custody and his wife’s lengths to find him.
Since any film from the Oscars eligibility period for this year’s ceremony was available for fans to vote on, it’s highly unlikely that anyone could guess the clear winner. It’s a close race with enthusiastic fandoms, and you better bet they diligently voted for their favorite at every opportunity.
Voting has been closed for some time now, and the votes are all counted and ready to be announced. Fans will get to see who won the Oscars Fan Favorite when the ceremony airs on March 27.