Zack Snyder’s zombie horror film, Army of the Dead, has won the Oscars’ inaugural #FanFavourite award in Hollywood.
The Netflix hit, which was little-loved by critics, beat the likes of Dune, The Power of the Dog and Spider-Man: Far From Home to take the prize, which is the first in the Academy’s 94-year history to be decided by the public.
Earlier in the evening, a sequence from another Snyder film – “The Flash enters the speed force from Zack Snyder’s Justice League” – was crowned “Most cheer-worthy moment” in a movie. That honour does not come with an official prize and was met with silence in the auditorium.
The new #FanFavourite award was first announced by the Academy in February, in an attempt to insulate themselves from accusations of insularity.
Voters could offer their opinions by Twitter or the Academy’s website. In 2018, the Oscars announced the creation of a new category for “best popular film”, only to scrap the plan a month later, following considerable backlash.
Yet the potential for sabotage by handing the public the reins for #FanFavourite was hammered home once votes began flooding in for titles such as the little-seen Johnny Depp drama Minamata. The surge for this drama was thanks to a concerted effort by Depp fans upset by the star’s ostracisation following the collapse of his libel trial.
The populist innovation attracted further criticism from members of the Academy after it was announced that eight craft prizes would be announced at a pre-ceremony show and edited highlights worked into the telecast. The lion’s share of these went to Dune, a sci-fi blockbuster and the only real box office hit among the best picture nominees.
