Google Asia Pacific Blog: Which country in Asia had the most spot-on Oscar ballot?

Which country in Asia had the most spot-on Oscar ballot?

Monday, March 3, 2014

The Aussies were the only ones to show as much interest in Blanchett as the Academy did, as Sandra Bullock was the big favorite amongst Kiwis (who, remember, loved Gravity so much), while Malaysians, Singaporeans, and Hong Kongers searched for Amy Adams the most out of the other nominees.

The big favorite for Best Actor across the board was Leonardo DiCaprio, who topped the most searched charts in almost every single country in Asia, as well as aggregated searches worldwide. However, dark-horse winners seemed to be a theme for the night as Matthew McConaughey stole the crown for his role in Dallas Buyers Club.

It’s always a fun exercise to see if the volume of Internet searches are a good gauge for the eventual winners. In this year’s Oscar race though, it seems like Asian movie fans’ interests are at odds with the Academy’s favorites. But then, the prize is for the best, not for the best known.

Posted by Joyce Hau, Communications Senior Associate, Google APAC

Now that all the sequins have sparkled, speeches have been given and selfies taken, we thought we’d take a look at which Asian country’s search interest matched the Academy voters’ tastes most closely.

Out of all the Best Picture nominees, Australia and New Zealand searched for Gravity the most, while Wolf of Wall Street topped search charts in India. Moviegoers in Malaysia and Vietnam searched for Her the most out of the other nominees. It seems like the actual winner, 12 Years a Slave, was somewhat of a dark horse coming into the race—most countries in the region searched for it less than box-office blockbusters Wolf of Wall Street, Gravity, American Hustle, and Captain Phillips.

In the Best Actress category, Aussies rooted for their own Cate Blanchett as searches for her in Australia skyrocketed after her nomination was announced.

The Aussies were the only ones to show as much interest in Blanchett as the Academy did, as Sandra Bullock was the big favorite amongst Kiwis (who, remember, loved Gravity so much), while Malaysians, Singaporeans, and Hong Kongers searched for Amy Adams the most out of the other nominees.

The big favorite for Best Actor across the board was Leonardo DiCaprio, who topped the most searched charts in almost every single country in Asia, as well as aggregated searches worldwide. However, dark-horse winners seemed to be a theme for the night as Matthew McConaughey stole the crown for his role in Dallas Buyers Club.

It’s always a fun exercise to see if the volume of Internet searches are a good gauge for the eventual winners. In this year’s Oscar race though, it seems like Asian movie fans’ interests are at odds with the Academy’s favorites. But then, the prize is for the best, not for the best known.

Posted by Joyce Hau, Communications Senior Associate, Google APAC

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