Oscar Predictions: Possible Love

What are the awards possibilities for Lee Chanh-dong’s Possible Love now that it has premiered in Venice? The South Korean drama is the filmmaker’s follow-up to 2018’s Burning which was selected by its nation as their International Feature Film pick but failed to make the final cut. Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung, and Cho Yeo-jeong star with a stateside release for October 23rd and a Netflix streaming bow on November 6th.

Early reviews are impressive with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and a perhaps more notable 96% on Metacritic. Even with that rapturous reaction, one wonders how much room for international product could make up the 10 Best Picture nominees. Love will need to compete with The Black Ball (which has likely punched its ticket) and potentially the Cannes winner Fjord and All of a Sudden. It is a legit question whether Netflix will throw most of the campaigning behind Ball.

If Love were to take the top prize at Venice, chances in the big dance would immediately rise. However, as of now, I think International Feature Film is perhaps the sole nomination with an outside shot at Original Screenplay. My Oscar Prediction posts will continue…

Hope Box Office Prediction

Na Hong-jin’s South Korean action sci-fi spectacle Hope looks to post impressive domestic grosses when it debuts September 9th. Reportedly the widest stateside release from its nation since 2019’s Parasite, the film originally premiered at Cannes before hitting South Korean venues in July. Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, and Hoyean lead the cast along with Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender.

Hope drew passionate reactions at Cannes with many reviews lauding the filmmaker’s directorial flourishes while being more critical of other aspects. Rotten Tomatoes is at 77% with a 68 Metacritic. Neon is handling North American distribution. With a Wednesday start, I could see its grosses being front-loaded and I think the five-day could approach $10 million.

Hope opening weekend prediction: $5.9 million (Friday to Sunday); $9.4 million (Wednesday to Sunday)

For my Practical Magic 2 prediction, click here:

For my The Uprising prediction, click here: