Oscar Watch

Titanic ran 3 hours, 14 minutes and ended up winning 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King clocked in at 3 hours, 21 minutes and also won 11 Oscars, including the top prize. So Universal Studio's upcoming Peter Jackson-direced King Kong — clocking in at three hours — seems like a natural Oscar contender (and even the generally disliked 1976 remake managed two nods and a special-achievement award). So far, however, the busy studio has kept its focus on four other releases — Munich, Jarhead, The Producers, and Cinderella Man — in plannning its award season (and that's not counting Brokeback Mountain, from specialty division Focus). But a rethink is likely: Kong's budget has now climbed past $200, and a comprehensive Oscar campaign would help keep the film in theaters through awards season. So don't be surprised if Universal starts beating its chest and shouting ''For your consideration!'' Its 800-pound (and growing) gorilla may need some extra care and feeding