That's because the film, which was largely Wahlberg's project for the past five years, garnered seven Academy Award nominations, second only to The King's Speech, which had 12.
Christian Bale was nominated in the best supporting actor category (he won the Golden Globe for the same category) for his portrayal of Dicky Eklund, while Melissa Leo and Amy Adams were nominated in the best supporting actress category (they were both nominated for the same category in the Golden Globes, and Leo won).
The Fighter is also up for best picture, facing competition from Inception, Black Swan, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit and Winter's Bone.
The Fighter was also nominated for best screenplay, best director (David O. Russell) and best editing.
Ben Affleck's Boston flick, The Town, also got a nomination in Jeremy Renner for best supporting actor.
Here's a rundown of the nominations for the more prominent categories. For the full list, click here.
Best Picture
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone
Actor in a Leading Role
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth,The King's Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours
Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
