Pandora blues

On the other hand, the Avatar backlash was one of the most virulent in recent memory. Before its release, the film was expected to bomb. Josh Levin of Slate described it best when writing, "Here come the cats with human boobs." Given its budget, Avatar's first weekend at the box-office was considered a disappointment by many. But its revolutionary use of 3D to depict an entirely alien world won it stellar reviews. Two weeks and $352 million later, the film began looking like the Oscar front-runner and from then, the hate spread like wildfire.

The year before, The Dark Knight with Christian Bale had equally impressive reviews (many due to Heath Ledger's performance) and made over a billion dollars at the worldwide box-office. Many thought the film would be an Oscar front runner but it wasn't nominated for Best Picture. Consequently, it escaped the Oscar backlash.

No Country for Old Men with Javier Bardem won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2008 and was considered a front runner before doing so. But the film's box-office and consequently its backlash were relatively weak. However, days after winning best Picture and getting a bounce at the box-office that shot it past $70 million, a new group formed on Facebook: "People who hate the movie No Country for Old Men".

The King ain't no Queen

The King's Speech began with a small platform release and the best reviews of the year, especially for Colin Firth. But the tide of good will swiftly turned as soon as the film racked up 12 Oscar nominations and became a lock to pass $100 million dollars in domestic box-office receipts. Newspapers ran stories decrying the film's revisionist history.

For example, Steve Luxenberg of The Washington Post listed the film's many inaccuracies and claimed he was "fooled" into believing the film's depiction of history was accurate when it was not. Being a fair minded fellow, he did also say he was enthralled by the film and rooting for Colin Firth to win. However, the same paper's review of the film when it came out was different: "It's the kind of absorbing, attractive, unfailingly tasteful enterprise that a critic can recommend without caveat."

Suddenly the caveats were everywhere. Overnight, the art house darling that could became the box-office behemoth that shouldn't.

For Comparison's sake, The Queen (2007), another tale of a British monarch (played by Hellen Mirren) also began life as an art house darling, had numerous Oscar nominations and early success at the box-office. But it was never considered a leading Best Picture contender and it never experienced a backlash. If The Artist does not fare as well at the box-office it will likely be spared the wrath of the haters.

The joy of hating Best Picture Oscar nominees

The people who most relish surfing the waves of the Oscar backlash, are very different from the media, as some whip themselves into a literal frenzy of abhorrence about the films in question, even while happily admitting to never having seen them.

But why do some people love hating Oscar front runners with such unbridled passion?

Oppositional characters

Some people are chronically oppositional and thrive on having any opinion that represents the polar opposite of public sentiment. They look down on anything that has wide public appeal, simply because it does. Since they only take a stand against something after public consensus has been clearly established for it, their views are usually rigid and uninformed. The trifecta of critical acclaim, financial success and Oscar recognition are the ultimate in public approval. If everyone loves something that much, they feel compelled to hate it just as powerfully.

Attention seeking and specialness

The Best Picture haters use the internet to seek out 'lone objector' status so they can relish the attention it affords them. They frequent sites and message boards where their comments are most likely to be in direct opposition to the majority opinion. They attack the film and its fans flock to its defense, feeding the hater's sense of superiority by confirming that only they are special enough to see the truth about the film's failings whereas the blind and foolish masses do not.

What makes the behavior of these haters pathological, besides the irrationality of their arguments (Avatar haters still claim the film lost money, despite it making more money at the worldwide box-office than any film in history), is their huge psychological and emotional investment in despising something that has no direct impact on their lives whatsoever. After all, these are merely films. No stammering British monarchs are running for local office.

Any film that succeeds critically and commercially and has the good fortune of becoming the leading Best Picture contender at the Oscars will always attract those who would use its success to fuel their own feelings of rage and isolation. Fans can comfort themselves with the knowledge that the backlash will end as soon as the next financially and critically successful Oscar contender emerges. Short lived is Oscar backlash, long live(d) the King!

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Copyright 2011 Guy Winch