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10 Awesome Blockbusters That Deserved More Oscar Love

Earlier this year, the inherent king of the box office, James Cameron, had a lot to say about the Academy and their alleged “bias” towards big blockbusters, not “rewarding the films that people really want to see.” He connects the annual award show’s declining ratings to the idea that the members of the Academy use it to propagate movies audiences aren’t that interested in – the last Best Picture winner to gross over $100 million was Argo in 2013.

Superman

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1978’s Superman was the first major superhero movie to be nominated for an Oscar – winning only one: a special achievement award for visual effects (with no competition). This epic, which starred Christopher Reeves as the iconic Kryptonian, seemed to have marked the beginning of a trend, one where superhero movies could only be recognized for their visual dazzle.  Of the eighteen Oscar-nominated superhero movies, fourteen of them were up for visual effects.

Though it’s a little corny and has had some difficulty aging, Superman was a critical and box office success, earning almost $300 million worldwide. Despite its popularity though, it didn’t receive any of the “Big Five” nominations – not that Reeves deserved one.

This is a prime example of not only the bad rap superhero films get at award shows, but also how the Academy ignores the movies that people like.