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

Guardians of the Galaxy

When the original was released in 2014, it became a major Oscar contender, figuring in several precursor contests. It was thought to be a major player in several categories, including Best Production Design, Best Makeup & Hairstyling, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects. In the end, the dominoes weren’t spaced properly and they fell to only two categories: Best Makeup & Hairstyling and Best Visual Effects. Although Visual Effects was always going to be a tough sell, most felt that Makeup & Hairstyling was a done deal. It went home empty-handed.

This time out, the same categories are surely going to be discussed, but considering how little support the Academy has given to the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, I suspect that Makeup & Hairstyling and Visual Effects will again be its only potential nominations. This time around, though, I suspect the failure of the original to win and the recent victory of Suicide Squad in the category suggests that it could be in it to win it. However, considering the MCU’s frequent Oscar failures, I wouldn’t expect too much.