Marriage Story, Netflix’s heart-wrenching divorce saga, topped the Golden Globe nominations Monday with six nods including best drama, kicking off the race for the Oscars.
The Irishman, Martin Scorsese’s three-and-a-half-hour gangster epic, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino’s nostalgic love letter to the 1960s Tinseltown, were hot on its heels with five each.
The nominations traditionally see the stars and movies destined for awards success start to break away from the competition—the Globes are seen as a key bellwether for February’s Academy Awards.
Marriage Story earned nominations for its stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, and for its screenplay, but director Noah Baumbach missed out.
Scorsese was nominated for best director for Irishman but there was no best actor nod for his leading man Robert De Niro. Instead, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci were both selected for supporting roles.
Netflix’s Vatican drama The Two Popes also performed well, while dark comic book tale Joker received recognition in best drama, best actor and best director.
The 77th Golden Globes, which also honor television, will take place in Beverly Hills on Jan. 5, two days before voting for Oscars nominees ends.
Monday’s nominations were announced at an early-morning Beverly Hills ceremony by actor Tim Allen (Toy Story) and actresses Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam) and Susan Kelechi Watson (This Is Us).
The gala will be hosted by British comedian Ricky Gervais.
