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

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Five years ago, Disney embarked on a journey that took the legend of Sleeping Beauty and turned it on its ear to the tune of $241 million. That and Disney’s penchant for throwing money at their movies for solid designs enabled the film to score a Best Costume Design Oscar nomination.

Fast forward to Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, the second sequel to a live-action re-imagining Disney has put out yet (the first was Alice Through the Looking Glass). Like Alice, the first film was well received but the sequel was not. The original Alice in Wonderland picked up three Oscar nominations and two Oscars for Production Design and Costume Design. The sequel didn’t earn a single nomination after a disappointing box office.

Like Alice Through the Looking Glass, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil has opened significantly below its predecessor and is headed toward a mediocre final tally. Further, the film wasn’t well liked by critics and all of those factors pretty much ensure that the sequel will once again go nomination-less at the Oscars.

Jojo Rabbit

Director Wes Anderson spent years on the outside of the Oscars looking in, picking up a scant nomination here or there. That was until The Grand Budapest Hotel brought him tons of Oscar recognition. Jojo Rabbit is similar in style to Anderson’s films, but Taika Waititi hasn’t spent a lot of time outside the tent being ignored.

The film, which is a satirical Holocaust film about a young boy in Hitler’s Army who discovers his mother is hiding a Jewish girl. What sets Jojo apart form the myriad other films about the Holocaust is that it laughs a lot at it. This enabled the film to win the audience prize at the Tortonto International Film Festival, an award that almost always presages Oscar attention.

The film will face a lot of competition this year and victories are unlikely, but a Best Picture citation seems likely and an Original Screenplay nomination is equally sure. Beyond that, it could pick up original score, editing, cinematogrpahy, production design, and costume design recognition, but it doesn’t have a lot of prospects anywhere else.

The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse is director Robert Eggers follow-up to his critically acclaimed The Witch. Starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, this black-and-white drama centers on two lighthouse keepers on a remote island, which isn’t exactly the kind of work the Academy loves to recognize.

What gives it the most credence is how much it reminds the viewer of films of Ingmar Bergman in terms of tone, shadow, and design. That’s just the impression from the trailer. If the film is half as visually comparative, it could be a boon to the film’s chances with the Oscars.

Cinematography seems to be the category in which the film has the best shot at a nomination. Beyond that, Pattinson is going lead while Dafoe is going support. Pattinson isn’t likely to make it in over a bevy of other major Best Actor contenders; however, Dafoe is still in search of that elusive Oscar and voters probably want to give it to him. A nomination isn’t outside the realm of possibility, but the niche appeal of the film will likely keep him from winning.