Oscar bait nominated for Oscars. For that reason studios plan their Oscar promotional campaigns long before the movie is even released. It has been estimated that The Weinstein Company spent $15 million on its Oscar campaign for "The King's Speech", almost as much as was spent on the Oscar campaign of Weinstein-produced 1998 Best Picture Winner "Shakespeare in Love". Actors, too, benefit at least financially from Oscar wins. Agents and managers estimate that their clients can get as much as 20% more money for their next projects if they win an Oscar or at least received a nomination. Natalie Portman was expected
Oscar season deem "Oscar worthy" in the fall, before the eligibility cut-off, so that the films remain fresh in the memories of critics and Academy members right before the Awards, increasing their chances of being nominated. During Oscar season, studios heavily campaign for their films to win, spending large amounts of money in an attempt to influence Academy voters. The now disgraced Harvey Weinstein, of Miramax, was especially notorious for his campaigning. Weinstein was alleged to have spread rumors that John Nash was antisemitic, to hurt the chances of "A Beautiful Mind", which was competing for the awards with the Miramax film