We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

When the first Spider-Man came out in 2002, it was a box office hit, which enabled the Academy to throw it a couple of honors. Nominated for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects, that first film went home empty handed thanks to go up against the visual effects juggernaut that was The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Two years later, the critically acclaimed follow-up did its predecessor one better picking up a separate nomination for Best Sound Editing. Some voters felt the film was owed for its loss two years earlier, but many simply found the wonderful effects praise worthy and gave it the Oscar. That was the end for the Spider-Man series. Three more films followed, one capper to the original trilogy and two rebooted versions, none of which won Oscars.

While the Spider-Men once had Oscar success, those times are long past. Looking to films that fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is a slight bit of hope. Through the first Avengers movie, each film that featured Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) as a main character (his three solo films and that combined feature) saw Oscar nominations. None of them won an award, but they were all nominated. That would seem like a boon for Spider-Man: Homecoming since Tony Stark/Iron Man is a prominent character in the film, even if he spends large parts of it off-screen. The problem is that even the MCU has faded in voter estimations. None of the subsequent two films that featured Downey Jr. managed Oscar nominations. That suggests that voters are tired of the series and aren’t particularly interested in recognizing it anymore. Either that or there’s just too much competition.

That will be what does Homecoming in more than anything. Apart from there being a glut of superhero films at the box office, there are tons of movies competing for the same categories this film might feature in: Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects. The latter is the only one that really seems like it could have a chance this year. However, with films like War for the Planet of the Apes, Dunkirk, and other films that haven’t yet been seen, but will seem more “prestigious” than a superhero film, it would seem Spider-Man: Homecoming is likely to be ignored.