Awards season is upon us, and with it comes the infamous Golden Raspberry Awards, also known as the Razzies. The 44th edition of this annual event has just announced its nominations, shining a spotlight on the least successful films of the year.
Leading the pack with a whopping seven nominations is ‘Expend4bles,’ the fourth installment in ‘The Expendables’ franchise. Following closely with five nods each are ‘The Exorcist: Believer,’ a revival of the classic horror series, and ‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey,’ a dark and gory take on the beloved bear’s adventures. Not far behind, two major superhero flicks, DC’s ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ and Marvel’s ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ have both garnered four nominations.
Last year, Andrew Dominik’s ‘Blonde’ dominated the Razzie nominations with eight nods and ultimately clinched the worst picture award. However, the Razzies faced backlash for nominating an 11-year-old actor, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, in the worst actress category for her role in the horror remake ‘Firestarter.’ This decision drew sharp criticism, prompting the Razzies to issue a public apology and acknowledge their mistake. The Razzies founder, John Wilson, expressed regret for any distress caused and emphasized their commitment to rectifying missteps, exemplified by the creation of the Redeemer Award.
Furthermore, the Razzies found themselves in a similar predicament last year when they bestowed a special award upon Bruce Willis due to his frequent appearances in the nominations. However, following Willis’ public revelation of his struggles with aphasia, a language disorder, the Razzies rescinded the category, demonstrating their willingness to acknowledge and rectify their misjudgments.
Established in 1981, the Razzie nominations are now determined by a select committee before ballots are finalized. As the awards season unfolds, anticipation builds for the announcement of the ‘winners’ of these tongue-in-cheek accolades, celebrating the less glamorous side of the film industry.
