Avatar: Way of Water’s Golden Globe nomination make it an Oscar contender

The Way of Water: Avatar hasn’t even come out yet, but it’s made a splash in this year’s awards-season conversation. James Cameron’s massive action-movie sequel to 2009’s Avatar was handed a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture — Drama when the nominees for the show were announced on Monday, on top of a bunch of other accolades that are seen as milestones for next year’s Academy Awards.

The Way of Water: Avatar manage to secure two nominations for this year’s Golden Globes, one for drama’s big price and the other for Cameron in the Best Director category. And last week, the movie was named one of the AFI and National Board of Review’s top picks of the year. While the snowballing of award-season success doesn’t always translate directly to the Oscars, more recognition and attention is never a bad thing when it comes to the Academy — not that Water’s Way is likely to need any help keeping people’s attention once it hits theaters.

Avatar’s competition in the Drama category at the Globes is a mix of blockbusters and smaller movies, including Elvis, The Fabelmans, Tár, And Maverick: Top Gun. Meanwhile, popping in the ceremony’s other big category, Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, Babylon, The Banshees in Inisherin, Everything at Once, The Glass Onion Mystery: Knives OutAnd Triangle of Sadness.

This also functions to announce Everything at Once as a possible dark horse for the Oscars, it’s a bad sign for Marvel’s Wakanda Forever: Black Panther, which earned two nominations, one for Angela Basset’s performance in the Supporting Actress category and one for Rihanna’s song “Lift Me Up,” neither of which are great signs for future awards-season success.

The 13-year separation Avatar 2’s release from its original have mostly served to strengthen the series’ meme potential, it’s really no surprise that Water’s WayIt’s generating interest from industry professionals and being promoted as Best Picture contender. Before being upset by the Academy Awards in 2009, the original film was the overwhelming favorite to win the award. The Hurt Locker. Cameron won the best photo award for his pre-election picture.Avatar movie, Titanic.

All this excitement and the release of Pandora’s movie later in this week make it seem like everyone is anticipating a wonderful trip to Pandora. On December 16, the film will finally hit theaters.