In a surprise announcement the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Wednesday that it would double the number of nominees for the best-picture Academy Award to 10 from 5, returning to a practice it used more than a half-century ago when the number of films released was larger.
The move constitutes the most radical revision of the Oscar-night ritual in recent memory.
We will be casting our net wide, Sidney Ganis, the academys president, said in announcing the change at a morning news conference at the groups headquarters here.
In a question-and-answer session that followed the announcement Mr. Ganis said, I would not be telling you the truth if I said the words Dark Knight did not come up.
This year The Dark Knight, a critically acclaimed blockbuster fantasy, did not make the final list of nominees that included Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Reader and the eventual winner, Slumdog Millionaire.
None of those films were as widely seen as The Dark Knight or the animated Wall-E, another favorite that was snubbed by the best-picture category, adding heat to a debate about whether the Oscar voters had drifted too far from the moviegoing public.
Mr. Ganis said that no changes had been made to other Oscar categories. He also emphasized that the nominees would not be subdivided, as with the Golden Globes, which are awarded for best drama as well as best comedy or musical. All 10 nominees will compete for one best-picture award.
Mr. Ganis said that the deliberations leading to the change began in earnest after this years show, which in February drew a larger audience than in the past thanks in part to an effort by its producers, Laurence Mark and Bill Condon, to include widely publicized tributes to popular films that were not in contention.
