The last time a movie topped a half-billion dollars at the domestic box office, it sailed away with most of the Oscars.
That was "Titanic" 11 years back.
This time, it's "The Dark Knight," a critically acclaimed film but a genre picture that will be a tougher sell to Academy Award voters, except for the performance delivered by Heath Ledger.
As Hollywood enters the prestige season, when studios unveil most of their awards contenders, Ledger seems a solid bet for an acting nomination as the maniacal bad guy the Joker.
The role has been classified as one of the best villains in Hollywood history, a remarkable turn by the actor who died in January of an accidental prescription drug overdose.
While "The Dark Knight" also should score well in technical categories, its Oscar prospects are slim for other key awards, among them an acting honor for Christian Bale, reprising his "Batman Begins" lead role with an exceptional delivery as the comic-book superhero.
"There are no prospects for that," Bale said shortly before "The Dark Knight" came out in July.
"It's the genre thing again, but hey, look, I'm very happy with what I did and what I set out to do. But it's not award-worthy. It's not the kind of thing that gets it. Listen, Heath's performance is extraordinary, and I'm quite happy to say he steals the show. He does, absolutely. He's just phenomenal in it."
With "The Dark Knight" finally winding down at theaters after crossing the $500 million mark, studios are beginning to roll out their serious awards contenders, though Oscar night February 22 remains nearly six months off. via
