Sunday Night Update: Mainstream audiences were at least partially swayed by the terrible reviews, because Amelia failed to crack the top 10. The film is officially dead.

Friday's Entry: Considering that it currently has a mediocre 16 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Amelia is officially the first major casualty of the Awards Season.

I would count The Informant! a minor casualty. Even though it failed to catch on at the box office, Matt Damon is very much alive in the Best Actor race and the Warner Bros. released garnered some glowing reviews.

Despite the negative reviews, Hilary Swank might be able to grab a Best Actress nomination, but she certainly won't be winning her third trophy. Swank is now far from a lock for a nod, which means that the Best Actress race will loosen up a bit and more contenders may enter the arena.

The disappointment of Amelia also means that many Oscar prognosticators will have to shuffle around their potential Best Picture lists. Amelia sounds great on paper, and it appeared on more than a few prediction lists for the coveted prize.

This reaction doesn't really come as a surprise. It became quite obvious that something was amiss when it was revealed that Amelia would only be opening at around 800 locations. The film should still post respectable numbers because older audiences will certainly prefer it to Saw VI and Paranormal Activity, but an 800 location run doesn't exactly exude confidence.