How do films with four or more acting nominations fare at the Oscars?

For only the eighth time ever and first time since 1978, multiple films have simultaneously received at least four Oscar nominations for acting. “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which earned a collective total of 20 academy notices, are now the 39th and 40th films to have four or more of their performers recognized, and they could soon be added to the list of 25 films of this kind that scored at least one acting win. However, it is possible that one or both could follow the 13 other movies – including “The Power of the Dog” (2022) – that lost on all of their acting bids.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” each ended up with one lead acting notice, for Colin Farrell and Michelle Yeoh, respectively. Farrell’s three nominated supporting cast mates are Kerry Condon, Brendan Gleeson, and Barry Keoghan, while Yeoh’s are Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu, and Ke Huy Quan.

Gleeson and Keoghan are the 22nd pair (or trio) of costars to face off in the supporting male category, directly following “The Power of the Dog” duo Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Of the 11 cases concerning men who were part of said quartets or quintets, four resulted in victories, with Jack Nicholson over John Lithgow in “Terms of Endearment” (1984) being the latest example. On the corresponding female list, Curtis and Hsu’s is the 36th general case and the 13th quartet/quintet case. The last of the six wins to result from one of the latter instances involved Catherine Zeta-Jones over Queen Latifah in “Chicago” (2003).

On average, a film of this kind earns a total of 10 Oscar nominations. 34 of the past examples received Best Picture bids and 13 won the top honor. “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” are both nominated there as well as in four non-acting categories where their predecessors have often landed: Best Director (34; 13 wins), Best Film Editing (27; five wins), Best Score (16; four wins), and Best Original Screenplay (11; six wins).

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” is also up for Best Costume Design, where 12 of these films competed and three won, as well as Best Song, where there have been two unsuccessful bids. The remaining category breakdowns are as follows: Best Cinematography (25; 10 wins), Best Adapted Screenplay (24; 11 wins), Best Production Design (20; nine wins), Best Sound (15; three wins), and Best Visual Effects (two; no wins). To date, the only film in the group that did not make it into any non-acting categories is “Othello” (1966).

Analyzing the 38 previous cases proves that Best Supporting Actress is the luckiest acting category in this type of situation. 15 of the films won that award, from “Gone with the Wind” (Hattie McDaniel) in 1940 to “Chicago” (Zeta-Jones) in 2003. Next is Best Actress with 11 wins from 1940 (Vivien Leigh, “Gone with the Wind”) to 2013 (Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook”). Male wins are significantly less common, with seven in Best Supporting Actor from 1951 (George Sanders, “All About Eve”) to 1984 (Nicholson) and only six in Best Actor from 1955 (Marlon Brando, “On the Waterfront”) to 1980 (Dustin Hoffman, “Kramer vs. Kramer”).

The first of the dozen films with at least four unsuccessful acting bids, “My Man Godfrey,” was also the first to receive as many and the first to cover each of the four categories. The only two films that have lost all four races in the time since are “Sunset Boulevard” (1951) and “American Hustle” (2014). “I Remember Mama” (1949), “The Defiant Ones” (1959), “The Hustler” (1962), “Othello,” “Rocky” (1977), “The Turning Point” (1978), and “Doubt” (2009) each had four bids across three categories and lost them all. “Peyton Place” (1958) and “Tom Jones” (1964) are the only two films with five acting losses apiece.

On average, these 38 films have ended up with just one acting win each and have typically triumphed in two additional categories. “Gone with the Wind,” “From Here to Eternity” (1954), and “On the Waterfront” each won six other contests, while “My Man Godfrey,” “I Remember Mama,” “Peyton Place,” “Othello,” “The Turning Point,” “Doubt,” and “American Hustle” finished with no victories at all.

Gold Derby’s current odds indicate that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” will take both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, as well as Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing. “The Banshees of Inisherin” is predicted to only win Best Original Screenplay, but is in second place for Best Picture. Condon and Gleeson are both ranked second in their respective acting races, with Farrell, Keoghan, and Curtis all in third place, and Hsu in fourth.

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