We had two films that released this weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

The Amazing Spider-Man

The original was nominated for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. The second film was nominated for the same categories plus Sound Editing and won for Best Visual Effects. The third film didn’t even make the Oscar cut. This fourth film in the franchise, though a reboot, is more likely to follow the final film of the prior trilogy than the first two. In a year with so many powerful blockbusters competing for Oscar attention in those three categories, it will be hard for a sequel that hasn’t exactly proven to be the box office equal of the prior films to make a case for getting its own nominations. Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Visual Effects are all possibilities, but at this point the likelihood of it reaching any of them depends on how man more contenders release this year and whether any of them are better box office performers.

China Heavyweight

When it comes to the Documentary Feature category, it’s almost impossible to know where the Academy will find favor. They’ve courted controversy in the past and are very likely to do so again this year, but will this sports-themed documentary be able to muster enough continued support to make the final five? All signs point to no. Director Yung Chang, who helmed the critically acclaimed Up the Yangtzee has never been an Oscar heavyweight suggesting that it will be a tough sell to the Academy when a film like Yangtzee can be ignored. The only bonus is that the Academy seems to have a thing for boxing dramas, both documentary and feature film, so it could still have a shot, but it’s a very difficult road to that title.