Here's why Harry Potter needs to pull a Lord of the Rings and sweep the Oscars in 2012.
Fact: the Harry Potter movies series has never won an Oscar. Also a fact: the eight movie franchise stands as the highest grossing of all time, with a worldwide box office revenue of over $1 billion. There's maths in here somewhere that doesn't add up.
Of course, financial revenue should not (and evidently does not) equal critical acclaim and awards - but considering the huge success of both the book and movie franchise, you'd think that there would be more Potter fans in the Academy, or at least some who thought the series deserved a little something for the effort. So what's with the complete lack of awards for the Boy Who Lived?
The most popular theory is that Harry Potter has simply been put on hold until it was time to enter the final instalment into the race, and then, like with the final Lord of the Rings film, the entire series will be honoured by presenting every possible award to it in one go - getting it over with, if you will.
In some ways, this is of course highly unfair. Unlike LotR, the Potter films have been helmed by four different directors, they've had two different screen writers, four different composers, two different Gandalfs, um, I mean Dumbledores...plus, there are many fans who would argue that Deathly Hallows: Part 2 is not the instalment most worthy of recognition.
But isn't it better than the alternative? Harry Potter may have ended, but the worldwide, life-altering series continues to live on, both financially through the Orlando theme park and tie-in merchandise and in fans' hearts and minds. Look at the rise of young adult book series adaptations in Hollywood, and notice how many of your favourite TV series and movies reference Potter. It has become such a huge part of our social awareness, and like it or not, the Oscars continue to be regarded as the highest honour in the film world. Not having Harry Potter recognised would be a slap in the face, and seems somewhat unfathomable.
Warner Bros. is definitely raising all its sails to win the Oscars race this time, announcing to campaign "absolutely, hands-down, across-the-board," and creating a 'For Your Consideration' video. And 2012 is a good year to be entering, too. It doesn't have any exceptional and controversial blockbusters like The King's Speech or Slumdog Millionaire to compete with for the all-important Best Picture Award.
Still, will it win? And if yes, what awards? Daniel Radcliffe for Best Actor? Alan Rickman for Best Supporting Actor? David Yates for Best Director? Alexandre Desplat for Best Original Score?
What do you think? What awards will the Harry Potter franchise win, if any? Does it deserve the grand sweep? Sound off in the comments!