Oscars 2018: 'Dunkirk,' 'The Last Jedi' make final 10 in VFX race

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday (IST) the final 10 contenders who move forward in the VFX category.

As usual, big budget movies of 2017 dominated the category with names like Dunkirk, Blade Runner 2049, Kong: Skull Island, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Despite being made with the budget of under $20 million, Netflix's Okja and Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water also advanced in the category.

For the 2017 ceremony, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story won in that category. Original Star Wars (1977) had won too. The Force Awakens, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi were also nominated before. This may give hopes to the makers of The Last Jedi.

Same is the case for Blade Runner 2049 whose original was nominated in 1982.

Here is the complete list of final 10 contenders - 

1. Alien: Covenant

2. Blade Runner 2049

3. Dunkirk

4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

5. Kong: Skull Island

6. Okja

7. The Shape of Water

8. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

9. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

10. War for the Planet of the Apes

Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales failed to make the cut along with superhero movies like Justice League, Thor: Ragnarok, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Wonder Woman.

The Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will now be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 6, 2018. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.

The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood.