Cats is quickly running out of all 9 of its lives.
Tom Hooper’s adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s award-winning musical is more of a mess than that ball of yarn your kitten got hold of, with its own studio now even turning its back on the film…
Each year, as we enter awards season, studios promote their films that they think stand a good chance at walking away with an Oscar, Golden Globe, or some other coveted trophy. The practice, aimed at voters in the various awards, is termed “For Your Consideration,” as a friendly suggestion to watch the movies they put billions of dollars behind.
Despite having a $100 million budget and source material that has won countless accolades, Hooper only managed to finish Cats just hours before its premiere on December 16th. The less-than-stellar product — coupled with an extremely poor box office opening — prompted Universal Pictures to swap out the original version with a new one that had improved visual effects.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ruled that the updated version would be eligible for Oscar contention, but Universal appears to have lost all faith. It has decided to remove Cats from the list of Oscar contenders on its FYC page, meaning it won’t be submitted for categories such as Best Visual Effects or Best Original Song.
What a cat-astrophe.
