Apple chases Oscars with slate of original movies

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Hollywood sign
Apple has big plans for Hollywood.
Photo: Tom Benson/Flickr CC

Apple’s followed Netflix into developing its own original TV shows. Now it wants to follow it by making its own movies, too.

According to a new report, Apple plans to finance six original small-budget movies per year. Each project would be made for $5 million to $30 million, which is pretty much a micro-budget by Hollywood standards. However, Apple wants to appeal to prestige talent with the goal of making Oscar-winning movies.

This follows on from Netflix winning numerous Oscar nominations. Netflix also took home the “Best Foreign Film” award with Roma.

“[Apple] are taking meetings and hiring,” one agency source told the New York Post. Three movies described as being along the lines of what Apple is looking for are BlacKkKlansman, Boy Erased and Dallas Buyers Club.

Given Apple’s massive cash pile, it’s interesting to hear that it would be aiming for small budgets for these projects. Some of Netflix’s most notable prestige projects have come with giant price tags attached. For example, the upcoming Martin Scorsese project The Irishman will bring together Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino. Its total budget is $200 million, making it the most expensive project of Scorsese’s career.

Apple chasing after awards

Should it choose to, Apple could outgun virtually everyone else with its cash. However, it seems that it is willing to go down this route. According to the New York Post‘s source, this may be related to Apple’s uncertainty about its position.

“They are literally anxious and clueless about what they really want to do,” the source said. “Half the culture hates them making content, and the other half wants to meet stars.” (Remember to bear in mind that an anonymous source could certainly include Apple rivals.)

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about Apple being keen to chase awards. In March, it was reported that Apple is assembling a dedicated team with awards strategy experience. It reportedly wants to be in the running for Emmy awards for its original TV series as early as 2020.

It’s not yet clear how Apple would distribute its original movies. It would make sense for the company to include them as part of Apple TV+ subscription service.

Source: New York Post

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