Only two sequels won the Oscar for Best Picture

The average moviegoer might want to watch another chapter of their favorite franchise, but when it comes to the nation’s most respected awards ceremony, sequels are struggling to get much attention at the Oscars. Over the course of 96 ceremonies so far, nine direct sequels have been nominated for Best Picture, only two of which have been lucky enough to go home with a shiny golden man. The first win came in 1975 when Francis Ford Coppola explored two different generations of the Corleone family in The Godfather Part 2. The second didn’t come until 2004, when the Academy praised Peter Jackson’s first tender farewell to Middle-earth and the best of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”

These two movies couldn’t be further apart, one about kissing a ring and the other about going to great lengths to destroy a (very different) finger bandage. However, there is no doubt that both had a significant impact not only in their respective years of release, but throughout the history of cinema. Often considered two the best movies of all timeCoppola and Jackson’s epics are films that stand on their own, even as they expand and tie up loose threads from what came before. What’s great now is that this once-rare trend of a sequel filling a Best Picture nomination slot at the Oscars is becoming more common and will likely continue to grow in the coming years.

Of those nine sequels nominated for Best Picture to date, six were released after 2002. The last two — “Avatar: The Path of Water” and “Best Shot: Maverick” — were released in 2023, aka the year of “Oscar” blockbusters. Unfortunately, both lost to the brilliant film “Everything everywhere and at once”. While it was great to see an inventive and original sci-fi film win the Academy’s top award (which is a rarity in itself), it seems that Hollywood is now more than ever a franchise-destroying monster, and the likelihood of sequels get the most sought after prize of the night more than ever before.

With that being said, could Gladiator II or Dune Part Two get some recognition at the Oscars when the 97th ceremony rolls around? Is it possible that Tom Cruise’s farewell to the IMF and Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Showdown will be viewed as well as Top Gun: Maverick? For that matter, can Vin Diesel’s fizzy swan song as Dominic Toretto in Fast XI end the Fast and the Furious franchise with the respect it deserves? This is anyone’s guess, but as with any good sequel, this article needs to be stopped at a cliffhanger while we wait for the next chapter in the story.

There will be a continuation.