LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Dark comedy Birdman topped nominations for the Golden Globes nods announced on Thursday, securing another boost for its awards season hopes leading up to the all-important Oscars in February.

The film, which stars Michael Keaton as a washed-up superhero film star trying to revive his career on the stage, won seven nods for the Globes, one day after topping the list for the key Screen Actors Guild awards.

Tied for second in the Globes nominations tally were coming-of-age drama Boyhood and Nazi code-breaking thriller The Imitation Game with five each.

The best motion picture drama nominees for the Globes, which will be handed out on Jan 11 in Beverly Hills, are Boyhood, Foxcatcher, The Imitation Game, Selma and The Theory Of Everything.

In the race for best comedy or musical film are Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Into The Woods, Pride and St. Vincent.

Former Batman star Keaton won a best comedy/musical actor nod for Birdman, along with Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Bill Murray (St. Vincent), Joaquin Phoenix (Inherent Vice) and Christoph Waltz for Tim Burton's Big Eyes.

Best comedy/musical actress nominees are Amy Adams for Big Eyes, Emily Blunt for Into The Woods, Helen Mirren for The Hundred-Foot Journey, Julianne Moore for Maps To The Stars and 11-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis for Annie.

In the drama categories, best actor nominees are Steve Carell (Foxcatcher), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler), David Oyelowo (Selma) and Eddie Redmayne for the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory Of Everything.

Jennifer Aniston is up for best drama actress for Cake against Felicity Jones (The Theory Of Everything), Moore (Still Alice), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) and Reese Witherspoon (Wild).

On the small screen, Fargo took the most nominations with five for the 72nd Golden Globes show, the second most high-profile awards show after the all-important Oscars.

The Globes nominations were announced a day after the SAG award contenders. Birdman topped that list with four nods, including best ensemble cast and best actor for Keaton.

Although more high-profile than the SAGs, the Golden Globes are seen as less of an indicator of Oscars glory, as a relatively small group of non-American journalists chooses the winners, rather than the industry itself.