Hollywood’s biggest night isn’t just about shiny trophies and emotional speeches; it’s also packed with drama behind the scenes. And this year, an anonymous Academy voter just dropped some wild insider tea.
Apparently, Adrien Brody’s The Brutalist wasn’t the best pick — it was just the only pick. Why? Because a way better 2024 film tackling America’s racist past didn’t even get a nomination.
Did Nickel Boys’ snub hand The Brutalist the Best Picture crown?
Adrien Brody’s The Brutalist was the clear pick for Best Picture — yeah, but only because Nickel Boys didn’t make the cut.
That’s the word from an anonymous Academy member, and honestly? They might have a point. RaMell Ross’ powerful adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel landed a Best Adapted Screenplay nod but got completely iced out of Best Picture.
And that’s wild, considering Nickel Boys had all the makings of an Oscar heavyweight. A gut-punch historical drama, it followed two Black boys fighting to survive a hellish Florida reform school in the ‘60s.
Shot with a first-person POV and backed by a powerhouse cast (Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Daveed Diggs, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), it was an AFI Top 10 pick and even scored a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture – Drama. Yet, when the Oscar noms dropped? Crickets in the Best Picture category.
Meanwhile, Brody is steamrolling through awards season. Critics Choice? Check. BAFTA? Check. Golden Globe? Check.
If he wins the SAG, history says he’s taking that Oscar home. The last time an actor swept all four and lost was Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind, 2002). Ironically, Brody pulled off the reverse when he won for The Pianist in 2003 — no precursors, just straight to Oscar gold. Could he now get hit with a Crowe-style feat at the finish line?
Either way, The Brutalist might’ve just lucked into the frontrunner spot. Because let’s be real: if Nickel Boys was in the Best Picture race, this conversation might look very different.
Brady Corbet says he made “zero dollars” from The Brutalist despite Oscar success
Brady Corbet, the man behind Oscar heavyweight The Brutalist, revealed he’s made zero dollars from the film — yes, despite its 10 nominations and a worldwide box office haul of $31.1 million. Corbet told Marc Maron on WTF,
I just directed three advertisements in Portugal…It’s the first time that I had made any money in years.
He and his wife, Mona Fastvold, also went unpaid for their last two films. And they’re not alone. Corbet said several Oscar-nominated directors this year can’t pay their rent.
Promoting a film was unpaid labor too. Corbet described it as a six-month interrogation, revealing he had done 90 interviews in just a week. Meanwhile, blockbusters like Dune: Part Two ($714.6M) and Wicked ($725M) raked in cash.
While The Brutalist battled financial strain, Nickel Boys flopped, making only $2.5M of its $23.2M budget. Tough year, even at the top.
Watch The Brutalist and Nickel Boys on Apple TV.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
