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

Tulip_Fever

One of the worst tricks The Weinstein Company uses is buying films and holding their releases. That’s especially true if the director is resistant to Harvey Weinstein’s demand for changes. I haven’t heard much about any struggles between Weinstein and Tulip Fever director Justin Chadwick, but the extremely delayed release of the film suggests that Weinstein wasn’t pleased about something.

The story is a period drama with a hyper-charged sexual energy. It stars Dane DeHaan, and Oscar winners Alicia Vikander, Christoph Waltz, and Judi Dench. It has costumes to the hilt a period setting. It even has Oscar-winning Shakespeare in Love screenwriter Tom Stoppard at the narrative helm. Yet, audiences have been indifferent to it and the Labor Day weekend release hinders its chances at the box office.

Normally, any production like this would be a shoo-in for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design nominations. The problem is that the low box office, the early September release, and the mediocre reviews will damage the film’s Oscar chances in every so slight ways. With plenty of other options this year, I’m fairly certain this film will be utterly ignored.