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Why The Iron Claw Never Became an Oscars Heavyweight


The A24 wrestling drama ticks a lot of the Academy’s usual boxes. So why did it fail to pick up a single nomination?

Conventional wisdom tends to hold that opening a movie too early can hurt its Oscar odds; a summer or spring release runs the risk of being forgotten or losing out to recency bias as flashier prestige productions dominate the fall calendar. Among the established players were two other A24 titles, neither resembling the kind of movie that historically goes over big with the Academy: Celine Song’s intimate Sundance sensation Past Lives and extreme art-house provocation and Cannes prizewinner The Zone of Interest. “Rarely does Best Actor go to someone who isn’t seasoned and established,” adds the anonymous awards strategist, who notes that the Cinderella story of a young matinee idol proving they’ve got chops is an easier sell in other acting categories.

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