Prestige Picture Overload: The February JustWatch Top 10

As the 96th annual Academy Awards fast approach (they’ll be airing this Sunday, on ABC, at 4 p.m. PT), it certainly appears that rabid cineastes have taken to the web to catch up on their prestige Oscar fare.

The latest evidence from what should be anyone’s first resource when it comes to tracking down any movie on any local streamer, JustWatch, at least seems to reflect that.

Our pals at JustWatch sent over this peek at February’s post-nomination stateside top 10 list, which tracks just which flicks were most-searched on the site for the month. Unlike downer recent periods, during which these lists have been positively riddled with with unoriginal “IP content” fare, this latest ranking is primarily loaded with original titles. Yes, this may be happening mostly as a result of this particular cinema season, but it’s also just encouraging that movie fans even still care enough about the Oscars at all.

Whether or not we agree with the honorees, we could all do a lot worse than investigating fresh stories from diverse voices, pleasantly bereft of any stories featuring masked heroes in spandex and a cape.

As far as IP fare goes, only two pictures truly qualify. Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie’s stunningly strange and subversive Best Picture nominee Barbie (No. 10 in February) is so much more boundlessly interesting than it has any right to be, and it’s exciting that a philosophically morbid, painstakingly production designed meta musical challenged and excited audiences enough to gross over $1.5 billion in theaters. Despite logging months on this chart, it’s no surprise that Barbie remains here now. The first of Denis Villeneuve’s weighty, critically lauded Dune adaptations was the fourth most-searched picture last month, ahead of its sequel’s theatrical release.

Two other flicks, Christopher Nolan’s Best Picture favorite Oppenheimer (No. 1) and Martin Scorsese’s latest nominee for the top prize, the dour, tragic epic Killers Of The Flower Moon (No. 5), are historic retellings.

Another pair of poignant, non-sourced Best Picture nominees, coming-of-age ’70s period dramedy The Holdovers (No. 2) and touching contemporary romantic drama Past Lives (No. 3), also number among the most popular titles. In all, five Best Picture contenders made the top 10. The rest of the list is populated by a trio of original, adult-oriented tales (the joyously off-the-wall high school fight club flick Bottoms may be a coming-of-age dark comedy, but that also extends to its R rating) and one adaptation of a romantic novel (not to be confused with a romance novel).

Will these kinds of pictures be on the top of the heap when all the receipts are tallied for March? I’m dubious, but also mildly encouraged by what I’ve seen for February.