Everything Everywhere All at Once, a film made for under $20 million by the independent studio A24, was the big winner at the 95th Academy Awards, picking up best picture and six other trophies over some of the highest-grossing movies in Hollywood history.
(Bloomberg) — Everything Everywhere All at Once, a film made for under $20 million by the independent studio A24, was the big winner at the 95th Academy Awards, picking up best picture and six other trophies over some of the highest-grossing movies in Hollywood history.
Michelle Yeoh won the best actress award for her lead role in the genre-bending sci-fi film, becoming the first Asian to capture that Oscar, while Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan won for their supporting roles in the picture. The team of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert together shared Oscars for writing and directing Everything Everywhere.
Two of the highest-grossing films ever came up short. Avatar: The Way of Water, the James Cameron-directed sequel that grossed $2.3 billion, scored one Oscar for visual effects. Top Gun: Maverick, the Paramount Pictures fighter-jet movie which took in nearly $1.5 billion globally, won for sound editing.
Talked-about films such as The Banshees of Inisherin and Tar were shut out. Everything Everywhere generated $106.7 million in ticket sales worldwide.
“The creators of Everything Everywhere knew that ‘mom as superhero’ would resonate with movie audiences,” said Rich Licata, a publicist who advises studios and networks on awards campaigns.
The night was also a chance for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences to move past the wild controversy that overshadowed last year’s ceremony — when actor Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage before winning best actor — and keep the focus on the movies.
Read More: Complete Oscar Winners List From 95th Academy Awards
The evening was both traditional and new. As in years past, it put the spotlight on an original film. It also continued the academy’s efforts to highlight talent that was overlooked in the past.
Among the large number of first-time nominees, Asian actors made a stronger-than-usual showing — with Yeoh and Quan using the occasion to inspire others.
“To all the ladies: Don’t let anyone tell you that you are past your prime,” Yeoh said in her acceptance speech.
Earlier, Quan was honored for his supporting role in the picture. He plays Waymond Wang, the husband of Evelyn Wang, a laundromat owner whose struggle to complete her taxes spirals into a genre-bending multiverse of conflicts.
“They say stories like this only happen in the movies,” he said in an emotional speech. “I cannot believe it’s happening to me. This is the American dream.”
Read More: ‘Everything Everywhere’ Studio A24 Is Indie Films’ New King
The event was an otherwise subdued affair. Winners avoided making political speeches while picking up their trophies on stage, which has been a popular soapbox in years past. Jimmy Kimmel, hosting for the third time, took a few jabs at last year’s events but avoided totally skewering the industry.
Besides A24, which also picked up two awards for Brendan Fraser-led drama The Whale, Netflix Inc. emerged as a big winner. It collected a trophy for best animated feature for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio and four prizes for the World War I movie All Quiet on the Western Front. The streaming giant also won for The Elephant Whisperers, a documentary short film.
Walt Disney Co.’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever won the award for best costume design. The movie was the latest installment of the popular Marvel franchise. Disney won two awards overall.
“Thank you to the academy for recognizing the superhero that is a Black woman,” said Ruth Carter, who designed the costumes for the picture. Carter said her mother recently died and she hoped the franchise’s late star Chadwick Boseman, who died from cancer after the first film, was taking care of her.
The show attracted an audience of 18.7 million viewers, an increase of 12% from the previous year, ABC said. It was the second straight year that viewership rose and was the most since 2020.
–With assistance from Christopher Palmeri.
(Updates with ratings in last paragraph.)
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