Poll: Moviegoers would give 'Hidden Figures' the best picture Oscar
The musical La La Land hits all the right notes for film critics and awards pundits. However, Hidden Figures adds up to a more Oscar-worthy movie for audiences.
In a poll of more than 8,000 moviegoers conducted by movie-ticket site Fandango.com exclusively for USA TODAY, the drama starring Taraji P. Henson as NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson was the favorite to win best picture at the Academy Awards (ABC, Sunday, 7 p.m. ET/4 PT). The film about the 1960s Space Race ranked No. 1 with 26% of film lovers who said they've seen all nine nominated pictures, and Figures just nudged out La La Land (25%) by one percentage point.
Arrival was third (with 13%), followed by Hacksaw Ridge and Moonlight (tied with 10%); Fences and Manchester by the Sea (both 5%); and Hell or High Water and Lion (3%).
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Hidden Figures and La La Land are the two highest-grossing best picture nominees — with tallies of $144.2 million and $134.4 million, respectively — and "the biggest crowd-pleasers of the year," says Erik Davis, managing editor for Fandango.com and Movies.com. "If any film is going to upset La La Land's potentially history-making Oscar night, it'll be Hidden Figures."
Fences star Denzel Washington was the poll's pick for best actor — with 34% — and bested Casey Affleck (who finished fourth with 15%), the early Manchester by the Sea favorite in the category that's become a two-man race in recent weeks. Ryan Gosling (La La Land) was second with 24%, Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge) came in third at 19% and Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic) was fifth with 8%.
"Casey Affleck's is a quieter performance, so maybe Denzel Washington stands out a little more with audiences," says Davis. "He's been around for a while and he has a huge fan base."
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La La Land's Emma Stone is a popular pundits' choice to take best actress and she's the audience's pick as well, with 44% of the poll vote. "It speaks directly to how much people love her, how much they love the movie, and how much they love her in the movie," Davis says. Natalie Portman (Jackie) snagged second place with 26%, followed by Ruth Negga (Loving) and Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins) tied with 13%, and Isabelle Huppert (Elle) with 4%.
The best supporting actor race is one of the more interesting at this year's Oscars, and while Moonlight's Mahershala Ali is a slight favorite among experts, moviegoers broke for Jeff Bridges of Hell or High Water. His 29% beat out Ali (27%) by a mere two percentage points, followed by Dev Patel (Lion) with 21%, Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals) garnering 12%, and Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea) managing 11%.
Like Washington, "Jeff Bridges is also this American acting icon," Davis says. "There's just more familiarity there."
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Viola Davis is a clear favorite to win her first Oscar, whether you ask pundits or film crowds: Washington's Fences co-star took supporting actress with 38% of the vote. "Even if all you've seen from this movie is the commercials, you can see this woman put a lot into her performance," Erik Davis says. Just behind her was Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures) with 35%, Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea) and Nicole Kidman (Lion) tied with 10%, and Naomie Harris (Moonlight) with 7%.
