'KPop Demon Hunters' Aims for More Oscar Glory, While Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice' Omission Called 'Shocking'

According to Financial News, Korean American director Maggie Kang’s animated film KPop Demon Hunters has been nominated in two categories at the Academy Awards (Oscars), the most prestigious film awards in the United States.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced on the 22nd (local time) the nominees for the 98th Academy Awards, with KPop Demon Hunters making the final shortlist for Best Animated Feature and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Golden."
KPop Demon Hunters will compete in Best Animated Feature against Arco, Elio, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, and Zootopia 2.
The song "Golden," performed by the virtual K-pop girl group Huntrix, will vie for the Academy Award for Best Original Song alongside "Dear Me" from Diane Never Dies, "I Lied to You" from Sinners, "Sweet Dreams of Joy" from Viva Verdi!, and "Train Dreams" from Train Dreams.

Director Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice failed to make the final nominees for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Instead, the shortlist includes Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent (Brazil), Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident (France), Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value (Norway), Óliver Laxe’s Sirāt (Spain), and Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia).

U.S. film criticism site RogerEbert.com named No Other Choice one of the most shocking omissions in this year’s Oscar nominations, reporting that it is "a symbolic example of how Park Chan-wook still has yet to be properly recognized at the Oscars."
Although No Other Choice missed out on a final Oscar nomination, its box office performance in the United States has been strong.
Despite opening on a limited release in the U.S. on the 10th, the film quickly drew audiences and recorded the best opening among Park Chan-wook’s North American releases. Distributor Neon has been gradually expanding the number of theaters, and entertainment outlet Deadline projected that, at this pace, its cumulative North American gross could reach around 10 million dollars. Analysts say it could become the second-highest-grossing Korean film in the U.S., after Parasite.
Deadline particularly noted that the film "is demonstrating box-office potential that reaches beyond the arthouse market, despite being a non-English-language film."
The 98th Academy Awards will be held on March 15 (local time) at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
jashin@fnnews.com Shin Jin-ah Reporter