The 2023 Oscars set a new Best Picture record thanks to multiple sequels receiving nominations in the same year with Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water. Even though the movies were two of the biggest box office hits of the year, that did not guarantee that either would receive Best Picture Oscar nominations. There was some expectation that at least one of the films that helped revitalize the movie industry after COVID-19 could be recognized by Academy Awards voters. Both Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water were strong contenders in several below-the-line awards, but Best Picture was a different story.The hopes for the new films from Tom Cruise and James Cameron to enter the Best Picture race were aided through the Academy's decision to begin mandating 10 films would be nominated in this category. Now that the 2023 Oscar nominations have been revealed, it is now official that Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water are Best Picture nominees. The news was somewhat expected for James Cameron's sequel since the original movie also received a Best Picture nomination, while there was optimism that Top Gun: Maverick could also secure a spot thanks to extraordinary response from all audiences. Together, they have set a new Oscars record.
2023 Is The First Time Two Sequels Are Nominated For Best Picture
Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick's nominations set a new Oscars record, as 2023 becomes the first year when two sequels were nominated for Best Picture. Sequels do not have a great track record for receiving Oscar nominations in the first place, as the Academy Awards voting body tends to favor original films that are not blockbusters or connected to a franchise. They have become harder to ignore in recent years thanks to Hollywood's increased interest in making sequels, even if the new installments come three decades later, as was the case for Top Gun: Maverick.
The 2023 Oscar nominations setting this new Best Picture sequel record is not only the result of increased productions on franchise films. Both Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick were heralded as two of 2023's best movies by just about any measure. Their great reception and huge cultural impacts helped make the case for them to earn Best Picture nominations at the 2023 Oscars. They have officially done that in what will now be considered a record year for the Academy, even if multiple sequels earn nominations in the same year down the line.
Will Avatar: The Way of Water or Top Gun: Maverick Win Best Picture?
Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick's Best Picture nominations give each a shot at winning the coveted Oscar in 2023, but it will be an uphill battle for both. Everything Everywhere All At Once and The Banshees of Inisherin have long been considered front-runners to take home the golden statue. Meanwhile, The Fabelmans, Elvis, Triangle of Sadness, Women Talking, All Quiet on the Western Front, and TÁR present other major competition for the 2023 Best Picture Oscar nominees.
It would seem, though, that Top Gun: Maverick has a stronger path to winning Best Picture than Avatar: The Way of Water. Tom Cruise's movie earned six Oscar nominations overall, compared to four for James Cameron's film. Top Gun: Maverick earned nominations in key categories like Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing, which can often help push a film to a Best Picture win. Even if neither of the movies win the ultimate award, Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water will always go down in history for setting the 2023 Oscars Best Picture nominations sequel record.