Oscars 2020 nominations: Netflix scores historic 24 nods, including The Irishman, Marriage Story for best picture

Streaming video service Netflix Inc scored 24 Academy Award nominations on Monday, including two for the best picture prize, the film industry’s highest honor. Netflix Mafia epic The Irishman  and divorce drama Marriage Story  will compete for best picture at the Oscars ceremony on 9 February. With 24 nods, Netflix has score more nominations than any other movie distributor. [caption id=“attachment_7902351” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] The Irishman (left) and Marriage Story have been nominated for the best picture prize at the Oscars 2020.[/caption] The Silicon Valley giant will battle for Oscar glory against century-old Hollywood studios, including Comcast Corp’s Universal Pictures, AT&T Inc’s Warner Bros. and Sony Corp’s Columbia Pictures. Warner Bros.’ dark comic-book origin story  Joker  led all nominees with 11 total nods. The Irishman, Universal’s World War I epic 1917 and Columbia’s Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood received 10 each. _( Read: Oscars 2020 nominations: Joker and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood lead shortlist; Parasite nominated in six categories )_The companies behind the movies are expected to spend millions to court Oscar voters in the coming weeks on TV commercials, digital ads and special events with A-list celebrities in New York and Los Angeles. Winning best picture would burnish Netflix’s reputation in the film business and give it new bragging rights in the increasingly competitive fight for streaming video viewers. The company began releasing original movies in 2015 and has been trying to build a library of prestige films alongside its dozens of comedies, thrillers and action flicks. But the digital video pioneer has irked theater owners by insisting that its films stream at the same time, or a few weeks after, they debut in theaters. Major theater chains have objected to the timing and refused to show Netflix films. The practice also forced members of the film academy to debate how to define a movie. Last year, Netflix’s  Roma   competed for best picture but did not win. Owen Gleiberman, chief film critic for industry publication Variety, predicted the streaming service would fall short again and lose the top prize to 1917  or  Once Upon a Time in Hollywood . “There was a lot of momentum for The Irishman,” Gleiberman said, “but my own feeling is that it doesn’t quite have what it takes to cross the finish line.” Nominations for The Irishman, which tells the story of the disappearance of labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa, included best director for Martin Scorsese and supporting actor for Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. Marriage Story stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, who play a show-business couple navigating a divorce and custody battle, received lead acting nominations. Among Netflix’s other nominations, and  I Lost My Body  were named in the best animated feature category. Biographical film  The Two Popes  received three nominations. (With inputs from Reuters)