Every year distributors campaign to land a Best Picture nomination with some repeatedly getting nominated every year. Others are unlikely despite big pushes and having huge films. Here is a look at five distributors that will definitely get Best Picture nominations this year.

1. The Weinstein Company: Ever since 2008, Harvey Weinstein and his company have been in the Best Picture competition with one or two films. The company even won two straight Best Pictures with "The King's Speech" and "The Artist." This year will be no different as the company is releasing two huge films that are sure to figure in the competition. The first of the two is "The Hateful Eight" by Quentin Tarantino. The director's last two films have been nominated and have won major awards. "The Hateful Eight" comes out in December and is getting a big push. However, the film that has more of a chance of getting nominated and winning is Todd Haynes' "Carol." The drama premiered at Cannes where it scored rave reviews and even won Best Actress for Rooney Mara. It will later premiere at the London and New York Film Festivals before its November release. The film is also being released at the same time that "The King's Speech," "The Artist," "Philomena" and "The Imitation Game," all of which obtained Oscar nominations.

2. Fox Searchlight: Over the past few years Fox Searchlight has given the Weinstein Company a run for its money as it won the last two Best Pictures with "Birdman" and "12 Years a Slave." The company has been prevalent in the Best Picture race ever since 2005 and has only missed one year since. This year the company has a small lineup that includes the beloved "Brooklyn," which is already being hailed out of Sundance and will screen at the New York Film Festival. The Company also has "Youth" but that film will be an unlikely contender. However, if "A Bigger Splash" premieres to raves at the Venice Film Festival, it is possible the company will finally set a release date. For now however, Fox Searchlight can count on "Brooklyn" landing a spot in the coveted category.

3. Focus Features: While the company has never won a Best Picture, it sure has an Oscar Best Picture track record. The company has had numerous Best Picture nominees including "Atonement," "Brokeback Mountain," "The Theory of Everything" and "The Pianist." Expect Focus to once again score big nominations with one of its two big titles. "Suffragette" seems promising especially in the Best Actress category but it is still too premature to see whether the film is really a Best Picture contender. On the other hand Tom Hooper's "The Danish Girl" is Oscar ready as his last two efforts were both nominated for Best picture and this new film stars Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander. It also helps that the film is screening at both the Toronto Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival.

4. Warner Bros.: The studio has not missed a year since 2009 and even won in 2012 for "Argo." Warner Bros. has been consistent in releasing films with great quality. This year seemed like it had no big film but the company has two big dramas coming out in the fall. The first is David Gordon Green's "Our Brand is Crisis" starring Sandra Bullock, who has landed two Oscar nominations with Warner Bros. including her win for "The Blind Side." The film is premiering at Toronto and is being released in October, a time that has worked for the last three Best Picture winners. Ron Howard's "In the Heart of the Sea" will later be released in December. The film is a historical piece which was originally expected in March but was suddenly delayed for an awards date. If the delay is any suggestion of its quality, perhaps Howard will be back in the awards race. The company also has two wild cards including Johnny Depp's September release "Black Mass" and "The 33" with Antonio Banderas.

5. Buena Vista: The Company is definitely not a mainstay in the Best Picture category but the last two Steven Spielberg films obtained nominations. This year Spielberg's "Bridge of Spies" will definitely figure into the race especially since the director is giving his film a New York Film festival world premiere. How well the Academy will receive the film is still to be seen but the director is likely to figure into the Best Picture category.

6. Sony Pictures Classics: The specialty company always has a great foreign film lineup but it does not always have Best Picture contenders. Nevertheless, a number of its films have been nominated, including "Whiplash," "Amour," "Capote" and "Midnight in Paris." This year the company could return with "I Saw the Light" or "Truth." Both films have exciting casts as well as Toronto International Film Festival world premieres. The festival run could definitely boosts their profile and raise Oscar buzz. The company also has a wild card in "Son of Saul." The Hungarian film was one of the standouts at the Cannes Film Festival with many already calling it the Foreign Film frontrunner. Perhaps if the film is that powerful and beloved the academy will have a crossover. However, the last time this happened was in 2012 with "Amour." Before that was "Crouching Dragon, Hidden Dragon" in 2000.

Related