• by Mallory Russell , February 28, 2014

When the red carpet is rolled out in Hollywood this weekend, all eyes will be on the powerful films nominated for best picture. The media buzz around these films and the actors that anchor them are also driving a notable response online -- from views of online video trailers to tweets and Facebook interactions.

Without further ado, here are the nominees for Best Picture trailers, ranked with their supporting data in tow (as of 2/25/):

1.     “Gravity”: 40,178,024 views, 9% view growth since nomination, 37,765 tweets, 659,667 Facebook interactions

2.     “The Wolf of Wall Street”: 30,898,099 views, 46% view growth since nomination, 33,991 tweets, 655,344 Facebook interactions

3.     “American Hustle”: 19,119,141 views, 23% view growth since nomination, 11,032 tweets, 132,847 Facebook interactions

4.     “Captain Phillips”: 18,125,451 views, 13% view growth since nomination, 7,801 tweets, 157,964 Facebook interactions

5.     “12 Years a Slave”: 16,885,933 views, 29% view growth since nomination, 11,990 tweets, 148,857 Facebook interactions

6.     “Her:” 11,966,040 views, 49% view growth since nomination, 15,152 tweets, 290,160 Facebook interactions

7.     “Dallas Buyers Club”: 3,772,422 views, 50% view growth since nomination, 4,589 tweets, 34,831 Facebook interactions

8.     “Nebraska”: 1,258,427 views, 39,724% view growth since nomination, 1,208 tweets, 28,125 Facebook interactions

9.     “Philomena”: 777,186 views, 26,552% view growth since nomination, 519 tweets, 24,405 Facebook interaction

If awards were based solely on video viewership, “Gravity” would easily walk away with the prize. But the truth is that viewership of film trailers has no impact on whether a film is nominated or wins an Oscar. But the nominations do have an impact on viewership. As you can see, all of the films experienced growth after the nominations were announced, with the smallest independent films -- “Nebraska” and “Philomena”-- seeing the biggest uptick. Whichever film wins the Oscar will see a huge bump in views after the show on Sunday.

Nominations and awards can drive views, but the most-viewed film trailers every year are seldom award winners. So what does lead to high viewership for this category? Here ‘s what we’ve learned about successful film trailers:

Success is largely dictated by genre: The most-watched film trailers fall into two categories, action movies and family-friendly animated films, that appeal to a large demographic.

Distribution counts: While independent movies and dramatic films do well for awards season, they tend to have smaller marketing budgets and fewer promotions. This shows in the kind of reach that their campaigns have.

Sequels go viral: Many of the most successful film trailers are either sequels or part of an established character series. As we’ve seen with branded content, buzz from the predecessor campaign can drive buzz for the sequel that propels its viewership.

Content counts: The content of successful film trailers is largely indicative of the film genres they represent. Action films tend to build interest and suspense with high-speed chases, explosions and over-the-top situations. This exciting content makes it shareable.

So dust off your tux (or your bunny slippers), pop open a browser, and watch some of your favorite trailers from the past year to cheer on your favorite Oscar nominee