One of my first thoughts after seeing Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was that nothing could possibly beat it for Best Production Design at the Oscars. And that still could be the case. With wins at the Critics Choice Awards and the Set Decorators Society of America, it’s very much in the hunt. However, while the win with CCA was a nice boost, that victory with SDSA means little when it wasn’t up against its strongest Oscar competitor.
The SDSA awarded Barbie in its fantasy category while fellow Oscar nominee Poor Things was placed in period, where it also won and provided no clue as to how the race was shaping. When the two both competed against each other in the fantasy category with the Art Directors Guild, Poor Things came out on top. When Poor Things won at BAFTA in a combined production design field, you really had to start presuming it had moved to the front of the pack.
That being said, the Brits clearly adored Poor Things far more than Barbie (five wins vs zero) and whether that kind of love translates to the Academy is hard to predict. The fact Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer are on their seventh Oscar nomination without a win could play a factor, but most Academy voters are likely entirely unaware of such a stat. While Barbie had the early buzz, Poor Things has only grown in strength in recent weeks and I think it has its nose out in front here.
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN PREDICTIONS:
1. Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures) – ADG, BAFTA, CCA, SDSA
Shona Heath, James Price (production designer), Zsuzsa Mihalek (set decorator)
2. Barbie (Warner Bros.) – ADG, BAFTA, CCA, SDSA
Sarah Greenwood (production designer), Katie Spencer (set decorator)
3. Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures) – ADG, BAFTA, CCA, SDSA
Ruth De Jong (production designer), Claire Kaufman (set decorator)
4. Killers of the Flower Moon (Paramount Pictures / Apple Original Films) – ADG, BAFTA, CCA, SDSA
Jack Fisk (production designer), Adam Willis (set decorator)
5. Napoleon (Apple Original Films/Sony Pictures) – ADG, SDSA
Arthur Max (production designer), Celia Bobak (set decorator)
Will win: Poor Things
Should win: Barbie
Possible shocker: Oppenheimer
