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

Cloud Atlas

A film that could have easily been a Best Picture player didn’t receive the required excellent notices needed for such a feat. Genre films always have an added hurdle with the Academy as they need to be beloved by critics and audiences alike. The film managed only a 62% with Rotten Tomatoes and a more miserable 55 rating at MetaCritic. These two scores combined show the love of critics was not there.

The film could have been a huge hit, which might have enabled it to transcend critics’ reviews, but it wasn’t. Opening at under $10 million for the weekend, the expensive film is a box office dud. Even with added word of mouth, it has no hopes of reaching the level of long term success a film like Argo is already having. Without either of these prospects, Best Picture and any of the top line categories are out of the question. That still leaves a hefty set of below-the-line categories that could benefit from the film’s heavy technical aspects.

First is the editing. This is a multi-generational, time-spanning epic that should showcase what a capable editor can do. The Wachowskis proved with the original The Matrix, that even a sci-fi, special effects film can pick up an editing nomination. This time out, though, I don’t think the film will be as successful. There are a number of other films that feature stronger editing and there are more still to release. Cinematography is likewise unlikely, but Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Visual Effects all have potential. Original Score is another iffy case, especially considering there are three credited composers. My guess is the film picks up nods in Art Direction, Makeup and Visual Effects with possible nods in Costume Design and the sound categories its only real threats.