Paramount
- This year's batch of Oscar best picture nominees has the biggest box office total since 2009.
- Blockbusters like "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Avatar: The Way of Water" were nominated.
- These films may help the Oscars out of its ratings rut.
This year's Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday, and blockbuster movies like "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Avatar: The Way of Water" — the top two biggest movies of 2022 — are in the best-picture race. Other populist picks, like the indie darling "Everything Everywhere All at Once," were also nominated.