By Daniel Montgomery |Sep 16 2014 11:56 am
Kiera Knightly Benedict Cumberbatch(center) and Matthew Goode (center back) in ‘The Imitation Game’ Photo: Jack English/Blackbear Pictures
Slow and steady could win the race for “The Imitation Game,” which has been climbing in our experts’ predictions for Best Picture. As of this writing, it ranks fifth with 9/1 odds. That’s up from one week ago (September 9), when it was seventh with 25/1 odds, and up even more from two weeks ago (September 2), when it was in 10th place with 33/1 odds. Will it keep going until it takes Best Picture in February?
The surge was inspired by the strong reviews it has received on the festival circuit, including Telluride and Toronto. Then, over the weekend, it won the top prize at the Toronto fest, the People’s Choice Award, which in recent years has gone to Best Picture Oscar champs “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008), “The King’s Speech” (2010), and “12 Years a Slave” (2013), in addition to Best Picture nominees “Precious” (2009) and “Silver Linings Playbook” (2012).