Warner Bros. Announces 'Inherent Vice' Release Date; How Does Release Affect 2015 Oscar Race?

Warner Bros. is starting to position its 2015 Oscar contenders.

The company recently announced that filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson's latest movie "Inherent Vice" will be released on Dec. 12. That release date usually suggests an awards campaign especially when the director behind it is Anderson, who is known for obtaining Oscar nominations.

Additionally, the film is being released in the same time frame as the Oscar nominated film by Spike Jonze, "Her," was released in 2013.

"Inherent Vice" is one of the most anticipated films of the year and it comes on the heels of Anderson's successful last film, "The Master." The new film reunites the director with Joaquin Phoenix ("The Master," "Walk the Line") and also stars Benicio del Toro ("Traffic"), Reese Witherspoon ("Walk the Line"), and Owen Wilson ("Wedding Crashers"). The movie was adapted from the Thomas Pynchon novel by Anderson and tells the story of drug-fueled detective Larry "Doc" Sportello who investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend.

The upcoming film is the first film Anderson has made with a major studio since "Boogie Nights." The fact that Warner Bros. has positioned the movie for a late release is due in part because Anderson has brought home Oscar nominations for virtually all his films.

In 1997, "Boogie Nights" was nominated for three Academy Awards including two acting categories and in 1999, "Magnolia" also took home three Oscar nominations. That film was also nominated for an acting award for Tom Cruise. His 2007 film, "There Will Be Blood," was nominated for eight Oscars including Best Picture and won two for Best Actor and Best Cinematography. His last movie "The Master" went home with three Oscar nominations, all in the acting categories. While "Inherent Vice" has yet to be screened, Oscar pundits will begin to talk about the movie in the weeks after the Oscars.

The studio is also banking on "The Judge" which will be released in October. Warner Bros. has had a tendency of releasing Oscar favorites in October, including "Gravity," and Oscar winners "Argo" and "The Departed." The film stars an A-list cast that includes Vera Farmiga, Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall and Melissa Leo. While the director David Dobkin is the auteur, the film could be solid enough to get acting nominations. After all, Warner Bros. has been consistent in releasing Oscar friendly films in October.

The studio can also assure itself at least one Visual Effects nomination next year as it had three special effects-driven films. The first of the year will be "Transcendence" and given the fact that it is being directed by Oscar favorite Wally Pister, Warner Bros. could have an early contender on its hands. "Godzilla" will also be a big contender in this category for Warner Bros. as the studio has consistently had creature effects get nominated. Finally, "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" is definitely secured as a Visual Effects nomination as the first two parts were already nominated in this category; the original "Lord of the Rings" films also landed Visual Effects nominations.

While these are all predictions about all of the studios' strategies, the release date patterns have consistently worked. This past year the studio garnered 21 Oscar nominations including two films in the Best Picture category and in 2012, the studio took 10 nominations including the Oscar for Best Picture. In 2011 the studio was not as successful but it still managed to get a Best Picture nomination and in 2010 it took 10 nominations including a Best Picture nod.

Additionally Warner Bros. campaigned six films this past year and five were nominated in various categories including "Her," "Gravity," "Prisoners" "The Great Gatsby" and "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug." With 10 months to go until the next Oscar nominations it will be interesting to see how these films will actually be positioned and if any of them will be delayed.