Washington ? The public’s favorites to win the Oscar for best picture of the year are “A Beautiful Mind” and “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” say polls released just before the Oscars are presented Sunday.

Those two movies tied for first in polls by ABC News and Gallup released Friday, with just over a fourth of people surveyed supporting each. The other best picture nominees “Moulin Rouge,” “In the Bedroom” and “Gosford Park” finished far back, possibly because people are less familiar with them.

“Lord of the Rings” is the big earner of the group at almost $300 million and “A Beautiful Mind” has earned half of that.

Russell Crowe, who played the role of a schizophrenic math genius in “A Beautiful Mind,” and Denzel Washington, who played a corrupt cop in “Training Day,” are the popular choices for best actor each chosen by about a fourth of the public.

Halle Berry, who plays an executed inmate’s widow in “Monster’s Ball,” and Nicole Kidman, who plays a glamorous nightclub performer in “Moulin Rouge,” were the public’s choice for best actress each chosen by about a fifth.

The Gallup poll of 1,009 adults was taken Monday through Wednesday and the ABC poll of 1,021 adults was taken March 13-17. Each have error margins of plus or minus 3 percentage points.