Los Angeles - AFP
"The Big Short" won top honors Saturday at the annual awards ceremony held by the Producers Guild of America, seen as a reliable bellwether of Oscars glory.
The movie, set on the eve of the 2008 global financial meltdown, beat out a number of highly-touted rivals for best movie including "The Revenant," "Spotlight" and "The Martian."
Its cast includes Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt.
The PGA has an impressive track record of giving top honors to movies that go on to earn the Best Picture honors at the Academy Awards -- including last year's "Birdman."
The non-profit PGA is a trade group representing US film and television producers. The awards are chosen by the 7,000 voting members in the organization.
The group also voted to honor the documentary "Amy" about troubled soul singer Amy Winehouse, who died in 2011 after years of substance abuse.
Pixar's animated movie "Inside Out" won the award for best animated feature.
The Oscars ceremony will be on February 28.