Eddie Murphy Nearly Won His First Oscar in 2007 — and Then ‘Norbit’ Happened

The "Norbit Effect" is a term first introduced by Entertainment Weekly in a January 18, 2013, article referring to the idea that a “bad” movie released at an inauspicious time can negatively affect a performer’s chances of winning an Oscar. Tom Hanks was subjected to this effect in 1989 when, after being an Oscar favorite for his role in Big,Punchlinewas released and diminished his chances of winning. He ended up losing to Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man. Even film legend Meryl Streep suffered from this effect when her role in Before and After dented her chances of winning in 1996 for her performance in The Bridges of Madison County. But the genesis of the "Norbit Effect" — and the event that gave it its name — occurred when Eddie Murphy nearly won his first Oscar for his role inDreamgirls ... until, that is,Norbit came around.

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By: Sean Mitchell
Title: Eddie Murphy Nearly Won His First Oscar in 2007 — and Then ‘Norbit’ Happened
Sourced From: collider.com/eddie-murphy-dreamgirls-oscars-norbit/
Published Date: Wed, 06 Aug 2025 22:13:35 GMT