If rank-and-file moviegoers were to choose the Oscars this year, Best Picture would go to ...Selma.

Image result for selma mlkAt least that's the word from Amobee Brand Intelligence, a digital marketing firm that studied 600,000 websites in addition to countless tweets and Facebook postings looking for clues indicating what the general public thinks should win the Oscar in the top categories on Sunday.
Amobee says that Selma wins hands down and in a distant second is Boyhood, followed byAmerican Sniper then Birdman. Fifth place through eighth are: WhiplashThe Grand Budapest HotelThe Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything.
As for director, while the experts debate between Richard Linklater for Boyhood and Alejandro Inarritu for Birdman, the public prefers Linklater in a landslide. In fact, Inarritu doesn't even come in second. That honor goes to Selma director Ava Duvernay -- who wasn't even nominated in the category.
Likewise, David Oyelowo took second place for Best Actor in Selma, but he wasn't actually nominated. Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything took the top spot.
Best Actress by a wide margin would go to Julianne Moore for Still Alice and in second place is Reese Witherspoon for Wild.
Like most experts predict, Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor would go toPatricia Arquette and J.K. Simmons, respectively, for Boyhood and Whiplash.
Email: Paul.Bond@THR.com