Sandy Kenyon says Best Picture Oscar race is too close to call

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Sometimes, as the Academy Awards approach, there's a clear idea of which film will take home Best Picture. But this year, the front-runner status is split among at least three movies.

Previous awards shows often offer clues as to who will win, and the box office can be a good indicator as well.

"The Revenant" just passed $300 million in earnings and its director, Alejandro Innaritu, won the top award from his union. But while "The Revenant" had a great week previously, "Spotlight" was chosen as best picture by the actors' union. And just to confuse things more, producers gave their top prize to "The Big Short".

Things are so tight that Oscar host Chris Rock quipped, "It'll be a night that ends with a lot of drunk, disappointed people."

And it's amazing what those people will do to avoid that disappointment.

"The game has become very intensified, and there's so much great talent," said Sylvester Stallone, a nominee for his work in "Creed."

When it comes to the Oscar race, if a star stays out of sight, they risk being out of mind as voters are deciding who to nominate.

And this year, the famous worked harder than ever.

"You had stars willing to sit with potential voters and entertain them," said Janice Min, of The Hollywood Reporter.

She went on to call this year's campaign to get into the Oscar race "unprecedented." With five nominations and no wins, "Revenant" star Leonardo DiCaprio has left nothing to chance.

He has continually reminded voters about the challenges he endured while making the film, and and all that lobbying by DiCaprio is expected to pay off with an Oscar for best performance by an actor.

But when it comes to best picture, the outcome is a lot more uncertain because of the way the trophies have been spread around by the guilds in recent weeks.

You can watch the Oscars on Sunday, February 28 at 7 p.m. on Channel 7.