Does title length make a difference?

Have you ever wondered if the length of the title affects the odds of a film winning Best Picture? Steve has, so he did some math. Here is the break down of the 89 Academy Award winners:

1 word – 24 films, or 28.09%
2 words – 17 films, or 19.10%
3 words – 24 films, or 26.97%
4 words – 9 films, or 10.11%
5 words – 7 films, or 7.87%
6 words – 6 films, or 6.74%
7 words – 1 film, or 1.12%
10 words – 1 film, or 1.12%

By this logic, Dunkirk has the best odds of winning this year, as none of the nine nominees have 3 word titles.

That being said, five of the nine nominated films this year have 2 words, there are two with 4 word titles, and the front-runner (3 Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) has 5 words – statistically the lowest chance. We’ll see what happens tomorrow!

-Steve
3.3.2018