Jeff Bezos at Golden Globes
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos laughs at the Golden Globes, with supporting-actor nominee Simon Helberg at left and presenter Matt Damon at right. (NBC / Golden Globes via YouTube)

Keep laughing, Jeff Bezos, and get that tux ready again.

Amazon landed its first-ever Oscar nominations this morning as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced that “Manchester by the Sea,” a Casey Affleck film acquired by Amazon Studios a year ago, has been nominated across six categories in the coveted awards.

One of those nominations is historic: Manchester by the Sea is up for Best Picture, against Arrival, Fences, Hidden Figures, La La Land, Hacksaw Ridge, Lion, Moonlight, and Hell or High Water.

It’s the first time a streaming service has received a Best Picture nomination, according to reports this morning by Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.

That gives Amazon bragging rights over Netflix, which has received Oscar nominations of its own in the past, but not yet in the Best Picture category. Both companies have separately won Golden Globe and Emmy awards for their streaming shows.

With Manchester by the Sea, Amazon has taken a different approach from other services by releasing the film in traditional theaters before its streaming debut. Amazon reportedly paid $10 million for the rights to Manchester by the Sea at the Sundance Film Festival a year ago. Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, the film debuted in November and is set for release online in February.

Amazon Studios focuses largely on shows and films released through its Amazon Prime Video service, and its original content is one of the reasons for the rapid growth in Amazon Prime memberships in recent years. The company has made its biggest mark on the Hollywood awards circuit with the show Transparent, which has fared well at both the Golden Globes and the Emmys.

This year’s Oscar winners will be announced Feb. 26.

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