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鈥淪tar Wars: The Force Awakens鈥� has taken over the box office, setting records for its current gross and causing some to wonder whether the film can bypass such movies as 鈥淎vatar鈥� and 鈥淭itanic鈥� to become the highest-grossing film of all time.

But could the film also be an Oscar contender?聽

Genre pictures, such as horror, fantasy, or science fiction films, traditionally have a difficult time at the Oscars. But 鈥淔orce鈥� has gotten very good reviews and the American Film Institute recently added the movie to its list of the 10 best movies of the year. Other movies on the AFI鈥檚 list include leading awards season contenders such as 鈥淐arol,鈥� 鈥淪potlight,鈥� and 鈥淩oom.鈥澛�

Last year, almost all the eventual Oscar Best Picture nominees appeared on the AFI鈥檚 top 10 list as well.聽

Meanwhile, those behind the Critics鈥� Choice Awards recently added 鈥淔orce鈥� to its list of contenders for its own best picture prize. Again, 鈥淔orce鈥� stands alongside such buzzed-about movies as 鈥淭he Revenant鈥� and 鈥淭he Big Short.鈥澛�

If "Force" gets a Best Picture nod, it wouldn鈥檛 be the first film in the series to have that honor. The 1977 movie 鈥淪tar Wars,鈥� which is often lauded for its groundbreaking special effects, was a big presence at the ceremony that year 鈥� it was nominated for Best Picture when it was released, with director George Lucas also earning nods for directing and his screenplay. Actor Alec Guinness received a nomination for best supporting actor for his role in the film.聽

鈥淪tar Wars鈥� missed out on those prizes but picked up a slew of technical awards, including best visual effects, best sound, and best film editing.

What鈥檚 even more remarkable about the fact that 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� got a Best Picture nod is that it did so when there were still only five slots for nominees. Now the Academy can select between five and 10, so if 鈥淔orce鈥� makes the cut, it may be competing alongside more movies than the 1977 original.聽

鈥淪tar Wars: Episode V 鈥� The Empire Strikes Back,鈥� often called the best of the series, did not receive a nod, nor did 鈥淪tar Wars: Episode VI 鈥� Return of the Jedi.鈥� The critically maligned prequel trilogy did not, either.聽

But the Academy may be more accepting of genre films now than in 1977. The 2003 movie 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King鈥� became the first fantasy movie to win the Best Picture prize after being released.聽

We鈥檒l see if the Force is with the newest 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� movie when the Oscars nominations are announced. (Sorry. We couldn鈥檛 resist.)