‘Emilia Pérez’ tops Oscar nominations with 13, ‘Wicked’ and ‘The Brutalist’ land 10 apiece

“Emilia Pérez” led the way at Thursday morning’s announcement of the 97th Oscar nominees, picking up a whopping 13 nods, including for best picture and best international feature.

Trailing behind were two films with 10 nods each, the epic drama “The Brutalist” and the Broadway musical adaptation “Wicked,” while two films tied for third place with eight nominations apiece, the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” and the Catholic-themed mystery “Conclave.” Bellport’s Isabella Rossellini, who plays a nun in the latter movie, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, her first Oscar nod.

The nominations, which had been pushed back twice due to the wildfires in Los Angeles, were introduced by Janet Yang and Bill Kramer, respectively the president and CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which bestows the Oscars. Kramer promised that the upcoming Oscars ceremony would “pay tribute to our brave first responders and celebrate the enduring spirit of Los Angeles and the film industry.”

Read aloud by comedians Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott, the nominations mostly cemented the status of several critically acclaimed, though not necessarily popular, front-runners. “Emilia Pérez,” a French musical, mostly in Spanish, about a transgender Mexican drug lord, played in limited theaters for barely two weeks in November before premiering on Netflix. Nevertheless, the film could make history: Its nominated star, Karla Sofía Gascón, could become the Oscar’s first openly transgender winner for best actress. The film also earned a nod for supporting actress (Zoe Saldaña) and two nods for best original song (“El Mal” and “Mi Camino”).

Surely even lesser seen is “The Brutalist,” a 215-minute epic about a fictional post-World War II architect. It’s been a critical smash, feted at the Golden Globes with three awards and likely to earn its star, Adrien Brody, his second Oscar (following “The Pianist”). Yet the film has played in limited theaters since December and only recently firmed up plans for its wide release this Friday. “The Brutalist” is also nominated for supporting actress (Felicity Jones) and directing (Brady Corbet).

One film that fared better than expected was “A Complete Unknown,” starring Timothée Chalamet as a young Bob Dylan. Despite initial excitement over the casting, the film met with reasonably positive but not glowing reviews; likewise, its box-office performance has reached an underwhelming $62 million. The Oscars came through for it, though: Its nominations include best picture, best actor (Chalamet) and directing (James Mangold).

A couple of dark horses made good showings as well. “The Apprentice,” a biopic that portrayed a bromance between Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) and the mob lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), never made a splash despite its headline-grabbing premise, but it now boasts two Oscar nominations for its stars.

“The Substance,” a horror satire about aging in Hollywood, capitalized on its surprise Golden Globe win for 62-year-old lead actor Demi Moore with five Oscar nominations, including another for Moore, best picture and directing for Coralie Fargeat. Not only is Fargeat the only female in this year’s crop of directing nominees, she edged out such higher-profile candidates as Edward Berger (“Conclave”) and Denis Villeneuve (“Dune: Part Two”).

One category that shaped up oddly was Original Song. “Wicked,” a musical, was not nominated, but a little-known Tyler Perry film, “The Six Triple Eight,” earned a nod for its Diane Warren track “The Journey.” The other spots went to songs from the twice-nominated “Emilia Pérez,” the prison drama “Sing Sing” and the rock documentary “Elton John: Never Too Late.”

The 97th Oscars ceremony will be held March 2 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and broadcast live at 7 p.m. on ABC.