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

Kong: Skull Island

The king of the beasts has long been of fascination to American audiences. Like Godzilla is to Japan, King Kong has entertained and enthused audiences since the original film was released in 1933. Frequently emulated and oft referenced, King Kong finds itself revitalized every few years by a new voice. Peter Jackson was the last director to do so in 2005, taking home three Oscars out of four nominations.

Twelve years later and taking a slightly different tack than the previous films, Kong: Skull Island has entered the marketplace and its Oscar potential is already decided: Visual Effects is likely a key component to the film’s chances with Sound Mixing and Sound Editing also in the mix.

The real question is: can it do better than Jackson’s film? I doubt it. That film took advantage of emerging techonolgy and Jackson was hot off his oft-celebrated Lord of the Rings trilogy, so had plenty of good will to leverage into Oscar season even though the film had its detractors. Without the New York City component, or the period detail, it’s unlikely the film can pick up a Production Design nomination and a March release will make it tougher for voters to recall the film well enough to top the undoubted slew of competitors coming out later in the year.