The Oscars are months away but many award-worthy films have already been released prompting early Oscar predictions. Two of the films in particular were recently released in the summer and are doing well at the box office as well as with critics.

"The Lobster"

The first film is "The Lobster." The film was unveiled a year ago at the Cannes Film festival where it took home the Jury prize. It later went on to score awards at the European Film awards and the British Independent Film Awards. However, the U.S. release was pushed back several times due to distribution issues. A24 is now handling the film and has seen a strong response to the offbeat dark comedy. The film's box office is thus far impressive particularly because it is so esoteric and reviews have been phenomenal. This has prompted early Oscar buzz in particular for its screenplay.

The film is a likely Oscar contender particularly if it continues to play well with audiences and grosses continue to surpass expectations. A24 had success at the Oscars last year with "Ex Machina" surprising and winning special effects as well as with "Amy" and "Room." All three films were also box office hits and critical darlings when they were released. If "The Lobster" continues to obtain the same amount of buzz, A24 will likely campaign it at the end of the year and find yet another creative way of bringing the attention to audiences and Academy members.

"A Bigger Splash"

The other film that is generating the same amount of buzz is "A Bigger Splash." The film opened last year at the Venice Film Festival, where response was great and Fox Searchlight immediately picked it up for distribution. After months of anticipation, the film opened to great reviews and scored Oscar buzz for its two stars Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes. Both actors have received nominations and are some of the most respected actors of their generation. Additionally the film has scored a modest box office, which is always important if an art film is to score an Oscar nomination.

More importantly Fox searchlight is handling the film and this distributor is responsible for the success of "12 Years a Slave," "Birdman" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel." The company has been a leader at the Academy Awards scoring consistent Best Picture nominations and winning a number of Oscars. "A Bigger Splash" can be a tricky sell to the Academy but if Fox Searchlight is truly behind the film, it could likely score a number of acting nominations.

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