Will 2021 Be Netflix's Breakout Year at the Oscars?

After Netflix had a major breakthrough at the Oscars in 2019, winning three major categories (Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Foreign Language Film) with Roma, the 2020 Academy Awards turned out to be a big disappointment for the streaming service. Having won more nominations than any other studio (24), including two in the Best Picture category, the company's productions were snubbed for all but two of these prizes, with the loss in the coveted Best Picture category particularly stinging.

Following Monday's announcement of this year's nominations, it looks like 2021 could finally be Netflix's breakout year at the Oscars. The streaming service once again dominates the list of nominees with 35 total nods and two Best Picture contenders. David Fincher's Mank won 10 nominations in total, including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Best Director. Netflix's second Best Picture contender, Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7, picked up six nominations in total, including one for Best Supporting Actor and one for Best Original Screenplay.

As the following chart shows, Netflix’s growing content ambitions haven’t gone unnoticed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Since 2014, when the company won its first nomination for a documentary about Tahrir Square and its role in the Egyptian revolution, Netflix’s footprint at the Oscars has steadily grown, with 2021 marking a new record (for now).