The Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight is one of seven films competing for the visual effects Oscar.
Superheroes Batman, Iron Man and Hellboy are mixing it up with Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman and an ancient mummy for the visual effects Academy Award.
The Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight is one of seven films competing for the Oscar, along with fellow comic-book adaptations Iron Man and Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
The other four nominees are Baz Luhrmann's Australia, starring Nicole Kidman; Pitt's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; and two Brendan Fraser action films, Journey to the Centre of the Earth and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
Members of the academy's visual effects branch will view 15-minute excerpts from each film and choose three nominees for the February 22 Oscars.
The Oscar nominations come out on January 22.