Final Oscar Voting Begun Yesterday!

Well, we’re down to the fourth quarter of the Oscar game, ladies and gentlemen. As of yesterday at noon eastern, voting for the 97th Academy Awards has opened up. Members will be able to cast their ballots until 8pm eastern on the 18th. Then, it’ll just be that long wait until March 2nd when the Oscars are held. I’ll have updated predictions in a piece on Friday morning, but for the moment, why don’t we put a quick flag down on where we stand?

Voting opens up hot on the heels of Anora taking DGA and PGA prizes, both considered upsets, yet both solidifying it as the film to beat with Oscar. This also comes in the aftermath of the Emilia Pérez implosion, due to Karla Sofía Gascón. So, voters certainly have plenty on their minds. Have they already settled on Anora? That remains to be seen, but that’s the movie all other contenders would love to be right now…

Still to come, we have BAFTA and SAG, both of which offer up elements to pay close attention to, as well as asterisks when it comes to the Academy. The latter precursor could serve as the final word in Best Actor and Best Actress, which are far more of races than Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Mostly though, we’re in the final stages of the Oscar game!

Mostly, today I want to give you this bit of advice. Pay attention to what happened just prior to voting, as well as what happens during voting. This is where momentum is formed, as well as potentially sustained. Depending on what happens, we could see Oscar upsets, or frontrunners end up going the distance. Sit tight.

Stay tuned for my updated Oscar predictions on Friday!