Spielberg Talks “The Dark Knight” Best Picture Snub

Steven Spielberg is one of the most notable directors of this generation, with his recent The Fabelmans receiving a number of Oscar nominations. During a recent interview, he made particular note to state that he’s glad his film got a Best Picture nod and that bigger budget films are getting more notice, specifically commenting that The Dark Knight should have been nominated during its year.”

Whilst speaking with Deadline, Spielberg noted that he’s “really encouraged” by the Academy recognizing movies that hit it big at the box-office more often, and he goes to point out that Christopher Nolan’s second Batman film not getting nominated for Best Pictures as one of the biggest snubs in Academy history, stating that:

It came late for the film that should have been nominated a number of years ago, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. That movie would have definitely garnered a Best Picture Nomination today, so having these two blockbusters solidly presented on the top 10 list is something we should all be celebrating.

The Dark Knight did garner eight nominations but missed out on the Best Picture nominations of that year to Frost/Nixon, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Milk, The Reader, and eventual winner, Slumdog Millionaire. Spielberg goes on to hypothesize that this oversight actually led to Best Picture category, as the award consisted of five nominees until after the 2009 ceremony when it was expanded to up to ten, a number which was made mandatory in 2020.

And now, as a result, big-budget blockbusters are getting a little more recognition, with box-office giants Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick getting nods alongside a number of $100M+ earning hits such as Everything Everywhere All at Once and Elvis, while the arthouse fare is still getting a place to shine, with TÁR and Women Talking also in the running and The Banshees of Inisherin looking to be the frontrunner.