We had two films release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

The BFG

In Oscar history, there are few directors who’ve commanded the level of attention Spielberg has for his films. In a 28-film career, Spielberg has racked up Oscar nominations for 24 of them with 11 of them taking home Oscars. His latest film, The BFG follows a weaker string of Spielberg successes, which could speak to a softening appreciation of his work.

Of his last ten films, 8 of them have been nominees, but only two of them have taken home any Oscars. That his films have been getting weaker reviews than early in his career may be part of the problem, but unlock many of his contemporaries, he’s still doing quite well. The BFG, which was the first kid-oriented live-action film he directed since E.T. gave many people hope that we might be looking at another Oscar juggernaut. Critics, however, were appreciative, but not overjoyed.

The film has largely been shut out of the major categories. Best Picture and Best Director for a box office disappointment and critical weakling don’t seem likely at this juncture. His Oscar-winning collaborator on Bridge of Spies, Mark Rylance is also in tow here, but the likelihood of a motion capture performance getting nominated is unlikely. That leaves the film to fend for itself in the creative categories. Film Editing and Cinematography tend to go to more prestigious pictures, but Original Score, Production Design, Costume Design, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Visual Effects are still possibilities.

The competition this year is fierce, though, so I suspect that with the digital nature of the production, Costume Design is out and Sound Mixing and Sound Editing aren’t likely to stand out in voters’ minds. John Williams is a perennial favorite, so Best Original Score, the lone nomination The Adventures of Tintin received is probably the better bet while Production Design is also a solid possibility.

The Legend of Tarzan

Trounced by critics, The Legend of Tarzan was always going to be an iffy Oscar proposition. Based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ oft-retold story of a child raised by apes, the film was struggling to find an audience well before its release. The film needed a strong box office performance be taken seriously.

While the film over-performed expectations, the end result is less than spectacular, meaning it’s going to be dumped into a bin with the other 2016 box office failures this year. That doesn’t mean the Academy won’t recognize it. The effects in the trailer were more impressive than a lot of trailers these days.

That said, to earn a Best Visual Effects nomination, the film would have needed to be a blockbuster or earn decent reviews. Since neither is the case, one can’t easily make a Transformer-level argument that the film has much of a chance.