BAFTA has announced the longlist of nominees for the awards ceremony. However, it has blocked Marvel Studios’ ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ from the nomination list.
Tom Holland starrer ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ is the biggest blockbuster in the world in the year 2021. The film is still running successfully in theatres and is minting money, day by day. However, the biggest grosser of the year, this Marvel Studios movie has been blocked for the nominations of The British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA).
Spider-Man: No Way Home became the first film to cross the US$1 billion mark on the global box office collection since the pandemic. The film was released at a time when Covid-19 cases, especially of the new variant Omicron were again seeing a surge across the globe. Despite that, the Tom Holland, Zendaya and Benedict Cumberbatch movie opened to a thunderous response. Moreover, it also went on to grab a third spot in the films that received the biggest opening. The first two in the category were again Marvel movies – Avengers: Infinity War and Avenger: End Game – both of which also starred Tom Holland as Spider-Man.
But, in spite of being one of the top 10 highest-grossing films to date, the BAFTA decided to block ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ from the nomination. This is because the makers of the film refused to allow the film to be played on BAFTA’s streaming site which is meant for the jury.
ALSO READ: BAFTA 2022: Longlist of nominees out; Belfast, West Side Story, No Time to Die on the list
Spider-Man: No Way Home saw the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield on the screen as Spider-Man, making it the first film to have all the three Spideys sharing the screen space and fighting the villains. The movie has received exceptional reviews from the audience as well as the critic. But the film might have to struggle in terms of the award season since BAFTA had decided to block its nomination.
ALSO READ: Was Andrew Garfield once told he wasn’t ‘handsome’ enough for a role?
BAFTA has been considered as an influential award which is also deemed as a precursor to the Oscars. BAFTA most takes place just two weeks ahead of the Academy Awards. Clearing its stand on the decision, BAFTA said that the movie could not meet the eligibility criteria, which is why it has been blocked, reportedly. One of the criteria includes the film being uploaded on BAFTA’s private streaming website before voting for the first round begins.
However, according to media reports, the makers of the film refused to do so, citing piracy as their concern. While the movie may have blocked from the BAFTA, there continues to be good news for the film as its lead actor, Tom Holland, has reportedly been chosen to host the Oscars. He will be the first host of the show in the last three years.
ALSO READ: Tom Holland desires to appear on ‘Euphoria’; here’s how girlfriend Zendaya reacted to it