Fox Studios Broke Its Own Oscars Record After 47 Years
When Disney purchased the 20th Century Fox library in 2019, it caused some consternation among cineastes. The Fox catalog was vast and impressive, containing tons of indelible classics and even more titles waiting deep inside the studio's archive. 20th Century Fox was formed in 1935 and quickly became one of the "big five" studios that dominated the film industry for decades. Fox hadn't seen a shake-up this dramatic since 1985 when ultra-conservative media mogul Rubert Murdoch bought a controlling share of the company from Marvin Davis (who, in turn, had purchased his controlling share from the tax-evading fugitive Mark Rich; it's all very shady).
When Disney made its purchase, many film fans wondered if Fox's old classics would be made more widely available through the about-to-launch Disney+. When the streaming service debuted with a paltry 500 titles, cineastes were aghast. Why buy all those Fox titles if you're not going to distribute them?
That, however, was merely the end of the road for Fox. For its 83-year life, the studio went through many massive, dramatic highs and just as many pitiful lows, all detailed in an extended 2018 retrospective in The Hollywood Reporter. Fox, the article pointed out, was massively awarded in Hollywood and even broke records. In its history, Fox films garnered a whopping 78 Best Picture nominations at the Academy Awards; first with "In Old Chicago" in 1937, and most recently in 2018 with "Bohemian Rhapsody." 12 of those 78 films won.
In 1950, Fox even made Academy Award history with the release of "All About Eve," a vicious backstage drama written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The film was nominated for a then-unprecedented 14 Oscars. It wouldn't be until the release of "Titanic" in 1997 that Fox would repeat that feat.
All About Eve is seriously one of the best movies ever
For those unlucky enough to be unfamiliar with "All About Eve," it follows the career trajectory of Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter), seen in the film's opening scenes receiving a prestigious theater award for her acting. Eve is gentle, humble, and demure, careful to thank all the people who helped her. She was not, however, always so gentle or angelic. We learn through an extended flashback that Eve built her career by infiltrating the life of Margot Channing (Bette Davis), a bitter, hilarious, sarcastic theater superstar nervous about her age. Eve claimed to merely be a fan but soon became Margot's personal assistant. More and more, Eve took over small facets of Margot's life, and started asking for favors from Margot's boyfriend Bill (Gary Merrill), and Margot's close friend Karen (Celeste Holm). Only the especially bitter, acid-tongued theater critic Addison DeWitt (George Sanders) could see that Eve was a schemer and a con woman.
Frustratingly, "All About Eve" is not available on any streaming services. One can, however, purchase a Blu-ray from the Criterion Collection.
"All About Eve" won six of its 14 Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (for Sanders), Best Screenplay, Best Costumes, and Best Sound Recording. Both Davis and Baxter were nominated for Best Actress but lost to Judy Holliday from "Born Yesterday" (which is, to be fair, an excellent performance). According to THR, Davis was quoted at the time saying "Good, a newcomer won, I couldn't be more pleased." By then, Davis had already won two Oscars for her roles in "Dangerous" (1935) and "Jezebel" (1938). Ultimately, Davis would be nominated 11 times.
Titanic is merely okay, but you should watch it anyway
20th Century Fox only distributed James Cameron's romantic disaster epic "Titanic" internationally. Still, the film was so expensive ($200 million, not adjusted for inflation!) that it required two studios to fund it, a novelty at the time. Paramount footed $65 million of that.
"Titanic" requires little reiteration as it is one of the most popular films of all time. It debuted on Christmas in 1997 and stayed at #1 every week at the box office until the release of "Lost in Space" the following April. It's made over $2.2 billion at the box office (including several high-profile re-releases) and gave director Cameron a new filmmaking philosophy: why make a movie unless it's going to be the biggest of all time? He would make good on that philosophy by releasing "Avatar" in 2009, thereby breaking most of the box office records set by "Titanic."
The story is simple. In 1912, a penniless, charming sketch artist named Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) takes a trip on the ill-fated Titanic where he meets the depressed and lovelorn Rose (Kate Winslet). They fall in love and boink in a car. Jack freezes to death when the Titanic sinks and Rose has no room on her floating plank. Also, there's a diamond involved. Billy Zane wears a tuxedo.
"Titanic" is merely okay, but it represents the pinnacle of studio-backed pop melodrama, as well as the height of movie special effects. It matched "Eve" with its 14 Oscar nominations but won no acting awards and ultimately took home 11 Oscars while also losing for Best Makeup to "Men in Black."
The next film to match the "Eve"/"Titanic" Oscars nominations record was, perhaps bafflingly, the mediocre "La La Land" in 2016. "La La Land" "Moonlight" won Best Picture that year.