It was followed by German anti-war movie “All Quiet on the Western Front”, and Irish black comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin”, which each received nine nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Malaysia’s own Michelle Yeoh goes up against Cate Blanchett, Ana de Armas, Andrea Riseborough, and Michelle Williams for best actress, the first time a Malaysian has been nominated in this category.

Others vying for best picture include Steven Spielberg’s coming-of-age film “The Fabelmans”, the splashy “Elvis” biopic, and “Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron’s blockbuster sequel that currently ranks as the sixth-highest grossing movie of all time.

As expected, Academy voters also rewarded sequel blockbusters Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” for helping to bring audiences back to movie theatres after the pandemic. Both were nominated for best picture, although another crowd-pleaser – “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” – missed out.

Actors Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”) and Allison Williams (“Girls”) unveiled the Oscar nominations early on Tuesday morning from Los Angeles.

Winners of the industry’s highest honours will be unveiled at a March 12 ceremony hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel.

The Oscars and other entertainment awards shows have been struggling to attract television viewers, particularly younger ones who spend time on TikTok and YouTube. Last year’s Academy Awards show, when Will Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock before winning best actor, drew about 15.4 million TV viewers, the second-smallest audience ever.

NOMINEES IN MAJOR CATEGORIES

Best picture
“All Quiet on the Western Front”
“Avatar: The Way of Water”
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
“Elvis”
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“The Fabelmans”
“Tar”
“Top Gun: Maverick”
“Triangle of Sadness”
“Women Talking”

Best director
Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Steven Spielberg, “The Fabelmans”
Todd Field, “Tar”
Ruben Ostlund, “Triangle of Sadness”

Best actress
Cate Blanchett, “Tar”
Ana de Armas, “Blonde”
Andrea Riseborough, “To Leslie”
Michelle Williams, “The Fabelmans”
Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best actor
Austin Butler, “Elvis”
Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Brendan Fraser, “The Whale”
Paul Mescal, “Aftersun”
Bill Nighy, “Living”

Best supporting actress
Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
Hong Chau, “The Whale”
Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Stephanie Hsu, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best supporting actor
Brendan Gleeson, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Brian Tyree Henry, “Causeway”
Judd Hirsch, “The Fabelmans”
Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best international film
“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany)
“Argentina, 1985” (Argentina)
“Close” (Belgium)
“EO” (Poland)
“The Quiet Girl” (Ireland)

Best original screenplay
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
“The Fabelmans”
“Tar”
“Triangle of Sadness”

Best animated feature film
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On”
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”
“The Sea Beast”
“Turning Red”

Best original song
“Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman”
“Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick”
“Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR”
“This Is a Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once”