Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ll likely know that one of the movie highlights of 2023 is Killers of the Flower Moon. Available in theaters and to buy or rent right now, and coming very soon to Apple TV Plus, if you’re still weighing up whether to give it a watch, perhaps the fact it just got nominated for 12 Critics Choice Awards might sway you.
As announced by Apple, Apple Original Films picked up 13 total nominations, including 12 for the aforementioned Martin Scorsese drama and one for Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, which was nominated in the Best Costume Design category.
Killers of the Flower Moon was nominated for Best Director Martin Scorsese, Best Actress Lily Gladstone, Best Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Supporting Actor Robert De Niro, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, and Best Score.
As Sigmund Judge notes on X, that’s a new record for Apple Original Films.
Awards Season for Apple TV Plus
As Apple’s press release notes, Killers of the Flower Moon also recently picked up seven Golden Globe nominations, including one for Best Motion Picture - Drama. Also nominated were The Morning Show, Ted Lasso, Lessons in Chemistry, and more.
Apple’s continued success in garnering nominations (and wins) for some of the industry’s top awards shows that the company’s “quality-over-quantity” approach to streaming seems to be working, at least where critics are concerned. Only time will tell whether it’s a commercially viable approach, but Apple has money to burn and shows no signs of taking its foot off the Apple TV Plus gas. Indeed, it recently raised the price of some services, including Apple TV Plus, which indicates at least some belief the higher price tag reflects the platform has increased in value since its launch in 2019.
Both Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon are Apple originals with theatrical releases. As such, it’s likely going to be January before either lands on TV Plus. When they do, there’s hope we might get some spicy, extended director’s cuts, including one for Napoleon, which is reportedly more than four hours long. Either way, both are shaping up to be two of the best movies on Apple TV Plus this year.
