Is The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Biased Against Blockbusters?

@cinephile​ & @riverotter,

I agree and disagree with the statement. I think there is bias against blockbusters and they should win more than they have over the past century. That said, I think blockbusters are nominated and win the Best Picture at a higher rate than would be expected among the eligible films statistically (randomly). Conversely, I think lower grossing films are nominated and win the Best Picture at a lower rate than would be expected among the eligible films statistically (randomly). Blockbusters have a built-in advantage that they capitalize on to produce a better product (therefore should have more Oscar B.P. wins & nominations), although not to the degree they should. That said, a smaller budget doesn't prevent you from making a great movie, it just harder. I haven't looked into the detailed numbers to support this, but it seems obvious, even in just eyeballing a couple stats that is the case, IMHO.

@urbanemovies​ 

I am not sure I understand correctly. You are saying that Blockbusters should win more often because their production value is higher. I would say that in general Blockbuster might be better then a randomly picked low-budget films. But, it has been proved countless times that money is not a huge factor in making a good film (at least you do not need 300 millions dollars).

Year by year (year of the film's release) here is what should have won best picture according to me. I put in bold if my favorite film of the year is also the best picture winner.

1950 - Sunset Blvd. 

1951- A Streetcar Named Desire

1952- Singin' in the Rain

1953- Tokyo Story

1954- La strada

1955- Smiles of Summer Night

1956- A Man Escaped

1957- Wild Strawberries

1958- Touch of Evil

1959- The Human Condition

1960- L'avventura

1961- La notte

1962- Lawrence of Arabia

1963- The Leopard

1964- Red Desert

1965- Le bonheur

1966- Au hasard Bathalzar (hardest pick of all time)

1967- Mouchette

1968- 2001: A Space Odyssey

1969- The Passion of Anna

1970- The Land

1971- Two English Girls

1972- Red Psalm

1973- High Plains Drifter

1974- Elektra, My Love

1975- Mirror

1976- All the President's Men

1977- The Ascent

1978- The Deer Hunter

1979- Apocalypse Now

1980- My American Uncle

1981- Blow Out

1982- Little Wars

1983- L'argent

1984- Once Upon a Time in America

1985- Come and See

1986- Castle in the Sky

1987- Babette's Feast

1988- My Neighbor Totoro

1989- Do the Right Thing

1990- Goodfellas

1991- The Silence of the Lambs

1992- Unforgiven

1993- Naked

1994- Trois couleurs: Rouge

1995- Underground

1996- Capitaine Conan

1997- Princess Mononoke

1998- The Thin Red Line

1999- Rosetta

2000- In the Mood for Love

2001- Mulholland Dr.

2002- City of God

2003- Mystic River

2004- Downfall

2005- L'enfant

2006- The Lives of Others

2007- No Country for Old Men

2008- Gran Torino

2009- The White Ribbon

2010- I Saw the Devil

2011- The Tree of Life

2012- Amour

2013- Camille Claudel 1915

2014- Interstellar

2015- Blackhat

2016- Sully

2017- Dunkirk

2018- High Life

2019- Le jeune Ahmed

2020- Tenet

2021- Annette

2022- Eo

In 72 years, I agreed with the Oscars only 5 times. That is once every 14.4 years. You will notice that there are not many blockbusters in those 72 years. And, I would say there are not so many blockbusters in those picks. 

@cinephile,

​

No, that is not what I am saying, I think we are on the same page. I am saying the best film should win regardless of budget or box office. But, I don't see any micro-budget films winning either, so a bigger budget certainly helps and it removes one obstacle. I have seen plenty of amazing films that have had less than a $5M USD budget in today's dollars. I do agree money can be a hindrance too, as films can over rely on it and its trappings. IMHO, great films focus on the basics of good filmmaking and an attention to detail in every imaginable aspect. IMHO, those fundamentals start with a great story with well-crafted dialogue and build upon that. 

I don't see Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance or Toronto picking the same film each year either (as the best of the year's offerings) or getting it right all the time. So, picking the right one every year is harder than you would imagine. That said, I do agree that the Oscars could do a far better job and some of their picks are downright horrible. However, I can identify, as I have given up on having a favorite film, as I kept changing my mind. I find it easier to have multiple favorites that are in the conversation to be my favorite or I will have a clear favorite within a limited subgenre. After all, its not like in The Highlander where "There can be only one", except at the Oscars.

@cinephile​ FYI, greatness is usually never recognized at the current time. Think of all the great artists that died penniless, why should great filmmakers be any different. The appreciation and recognition usually comes later (sometimes thousands of years later). This applies to films too, as over time some will become less appreciated, while others seem to become greater over time (5, 10, 25 years later).

@dan_dassow​ done

@riverotter​ ,

Thank you for updating the title of your list.

@Jessica​ fixed thanks