(Image Source: Warner Bros. Pictures)
"Dune: Part Two," which grossed over $700 million globally, also had a strong showing at this year's Academy Awards, earning five nominations, including Best Picture, Best Cinematography, and Best Production Design. The film ultimately took home awards for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. However, many fans were disappointed that the score composed by Oscar-winning maestro Hans Zimmer failed to secure a nomination for Best Original Score, and Zimmer himself has expressed dissatisfaction with the Academy's eligibility criteria.
(Image Source: The Independent)
Speaking recently on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, Zimmer stated: "You know what? It's not a sore point. I just think it's stupid. How can it be a sore point? I was disqualified because I used music from the first movie in the second movie. But it's not a sequel; it's one complete story arc. Both films are part of the same arc. Am I supposed to throw away all the character themes from before and rewrite new ones? It's a stupid rule, but the last thing I want to do is complain about it."
The Academy's rules stipulate that for sequels and franchise films across all media, the score cannot contain more than 20% of existing themes or music from previous installments in the series. However, this rule applies only to the Oscars; the score for "Dune: Part Two" was still recognized with nominations from the Critics' Choice Awards, British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs), Grammy Awards, and Golden Globe Awards. Zimmer even won a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.