Most sequels nominated for Best Picture Oscar in one year

Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water (both USA) were both in contention for the coveted Best Picture title at the 95th Academy Awards when the nominations were announced on 24 January 2023. The blockbuster sequels were among 2022’s highest-grossing movies and are credited with helping to stabilize the industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the two, Tom Cruise’s return as US Navy test pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell garnered the most nominations overall – six.

Prior to the nominations being announced, a third movie sequel was also being tipped to receive a nod for Best Picture: Marvel's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (USA, 2022), however as it transpired it did not make the shortlist.

In the end, on the night of the Oscars held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, USA, on 12 March 2023, both Top Gun an Avatar lost out to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All at Once (USA, 2022), which picked up a total of seven statuettes.