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The best picture nominees this year include many that big audiences have actually seen

A trio of this year’s best picture nominees have hauled in big bucks at the box office

this year, the academy of motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ ill-fated popular film Oscar category could have just as easily been dubbed “best picture.”

That’s because the crop of movies vying to take home the top prize represents the highest- grossing group of best picture nominees in nearly a decade. The eight films in the category have earned a combined $1.3 billion at the domestic box office — a figure that could continue to grow as buzz builds leading up to the awards show on Feb. 24.

With roughly a week to go before the ceremony, the year’s total box office haul is the group’s biggest since 2010, when “Toy Story 3,” “Inception” and “True Grit” helped propel ticket sales above $1.35 billion. It also marks the first year since 2012 that best picture nominees crossed $1 billion in ticket sales. In short, it’s been a while since there has been this much overlap between box office hits and Oscar’s shortlist.

Assessing the popularity of best picture nominees can be a tricky business. Since the category expanded from five to a possible 10 in 2009, the number of films in contention each year has varied. That’s where average gross comes in as an important benchmark. This year’s contenders have averaged $163 million in ticket sales, the highest since 2009’s pick of titles reached a median of $170 million in receipts.

The box office success of this year’s nominees likely has executives at ABC, the network responsible for airing the Academy Awards, breathing a sigh of relief. The telecast has struggled with ratings in recent years, so producers are hoping audiences will be more inclined to tune in to an awards show that recognizes movies they’ve actually seen.

“Black Panther,” which hit the zeitgeist with its more inclusive approach to the superhero genre, topping the domestic box office at $700 million, could deliver the Oscarcast its biggest ratings boost. Adding populist films to indie fare was the goal when the Oscars expanded the number of best picture slots. The impetus for the change: voters’ snub of “The Dark Knight” in the category. It took a decade, but with “Black Panther,” the Academy has finally recognized a comic-book movie as one of the year’s best. It’s nominated for seven awards, including best picture. But it’s not the only commercial success on the prowl for the top prize. “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($211 million and counting; five nom-