Formula for Oscars success: a 140-minute film with 45-year-old male star

Researchers have developed a recipe for Oscar success: Cast a 45-year-old actor and a 38-year-old actress in a 140-minute film. The figures, collated from the last half-century of winners, could be bad news for the 33-year-old Eddie Redmayne who is currently favourite to be named best actor at this Sunday’s ceremony. Crunching the numbers back to 1965 reveals the average age of the best actor winner was 45 which could spell success for American Sniper star Bradley Cooper who at 40 is the closest in age.

This study provides the perfect ammunition for those looking to impress with their trivia over the weekend.

myvouchercodes.co.uk founder Mark Pearson

The best actress is most likely to be aged 38 which will please Wild’s Reese Witherspoon who is that age exactly, though her Oscar rival Marion Cotillard is only a year older. The research, commissioned by www.myvouchercodes.co.uk, also reveal the average best picture winner was 140 minutes long, which could be more good news for American Sniper which comes in closest to that with a running time of 132 minutes. At 201 minutes, The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King is the longest winner beating The Godfather Part II by 60 seconds. Woody Allen’s 93-minute comedy Annie Hall is the shortest ever winner.

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