Here’s How Many Oscars Joker Needs to Win to Set New Record for Comic Book Movies

Joker leads this year's Oscars race with 11 nominations, but it must win out over two films if Joker hopes to have the last laugh with the most Academy Award wins for a comic book movie. The Todd Phillips-directed Joker already set a record for the most nominations scored by a comic book movie, topping the eight nominations of studio Warner Bros.' own The Dark Knight as well as the seven nominations of Marvel Studios' Black Panther and Disney's Dick Tracy. Currently, Black Panther and Dick Tracy are tied with the most Oscar wins for a comic book movie: the Marvel blockbuster matched Tracy's record at three wins.

1990's Dick Tracy, which starred Warren Beatty and Al Pacino, took home prizes for Best Makeup, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, and Best Music/Original Song. Its other nominations included Best Supporting Actor for Pacino, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and Best Sound. Nearly three decades later, at the 2019 Oscars, Black Panther won gold for Costume Design, Production Design and Original Score.

Winning four of its 11 nominations would make Joker the most-awarded comic book movie in the 92-year history of the Oscars. Star Joaquin Phoenix is nominated for Best Actor, his third nomination in the category and fourth overall nomination, and Joker is also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Phillips and co-writer Scott Silver, Best Director for Phillips, and Best Cinematography for Lawrence Sher.

Other nominations include Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. Joker also became the first DC Comics film nominated for Best Picture and will compete for the top prize against Ford v Ferrari, The Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, Little Women, Marriage Story, 1917, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood and Parasite.

"Joker began as an idea, an experiment really — could we take an 'indie approach' to a studio film by inverting it into a character study to reflect the world around us? Explore what we're seeing and feeling in society, from the lack of empathy to the effects of the absence of love," Phillips said Monday when reacting to the film's 11 nominations. "I am deeply honored by the overwhelming recognition of the Academy this morning, and I want to thank the genius that is Joaquin Phoenix, and all my incredible collaborators. We are beyond humbled that our peers in the filmmaking community have embraced the film and its message."

The 92nd Academy Awards air Sunday, Feb. 9 on ABC.