At the 98th Academy Awards nominations announced on Thursday, Ryan Coogler’s vampire drama Sinners, starring Michael B. Jordan as twin criminal brothers in the Jim Crow South, made history by earning a record-breaking 16 nominations. These include major categories such as best picture, director, actor, and original screenplay, marking an unprecedented achievement for the filmmaker. The Oscars ceremony will take place on March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Trailing Sinners was One Battle After Another with 13 nominations, followed by Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, and Sentimental Value with nine nominations each. Hamnet secured eight nods, all competing for the coveted best picture award.
Historic Context and Significant Nominees in Major Categories
The previous record for most Oscar nominations was 14, a mark reached by acclaimed films such as La La Land (2016), Titanic (1997), and All About Eve (1950). Unlike those films, only La La Land failed to win best picture. This year’s race for best picture includes ten films, expanding from the usual five, with mentions like Bugonia, F1, The Secret Agent, and Train Dreams joining the frontrunners.
Michael B. Jordan was nominated for best actor in Sinners, alongside a highly anticipated lineup featuring Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent.
Critics have pointed to Chalamet as an early favorite, especially following his wins earlier in the awards season at the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes, and some speculate he is owed after his surprising loss last year portraying a young Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.
Overview of Notable Acting and Directing Nominations
The best actress category showcased Jessie Buckley for her role in Hamnet, Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue, Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Value, and Emma Stone in Bugonia. These nominees span a diverse set of narratives and styles.
Ryan Coogler earned a best director nomination for Sinners, competing against Chloé Zhao (Hamnet), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme), Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another), and Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value). Anderson, who has already swept the Critics Choice and Golden Globe best director awards, is also on the shortlist for the Directors Guild Award, which often signals Oscar success.
Recognition for Supporting Roles and Creative Categories
Nominations for best supporting actor include Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn, both for their work in One Battle After Another, Jacob Elordi for Frankenstein, Delroy Lindo for Sinners, and Stellan Skarsgard in Sentimental Value. The supporting actress category features Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas in Sentimental Value, Amy Madigan in Weapons, Wunmi Mosaku in Sinners, and Teyana Taylor in One Battle After Another.
Beyond acting and directing, Sinners received nods in several technical and creative fields: original screenplay, casting, cinematography, costume design, film editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, original song, production design, sound, and visual effects. This extensive list underlines the film’s comprehensive impact on the Academy’s voters.
Industry Dynamics and Studio Performance in This Oscar Season
Warner Bros., the studio behind both Sinners and One Battle After Another, leads this year with a combined total of 30 nominations. This achievement occurs amid an intense corporate contest between Netflix and Paramount for its ownership. Other leading studios include Neon with 18 nominations, Netflix with 16, Focus Features tallying 13, and A24 with 11.
Some surprising absences included Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, both of whom were overlooked for their roles reprising characters in the 2025 film Wicked: For Good, despite their earlier nominations in the franchise’s first installment.
Paul Mescal was also notably absent from the nominations for his portrayal of William Shakespeare in Hamnet, which explores the tragedy of Shakespeare and his wife mourning their son Hamnet’s death—an event that inspired the legendary play Hamlet. Similarly, Guillermo Del Toro was passed over in the best director category for Frankenstein, although he received a nod for adapted screenplay.
Qualification Criteria and Voting Process for This Year’s Oscars
A total of 317 feature films qualified for Oscar consideration this year, with 201 meeting the standards required for best picture eligibility, as announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. To qualify for general entry categories, films had to screen in commercial theaters across one or more of six designated U.S. metropolitan areas—Los Angeles County, New York City, San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Atlanta—within the 2025 calendar year, maintaining a minimum seven-day run at the same theater and a runtime over 40 minutes.
For the best picture category specifically, films also needed to meet inclusion standards and expand their theatrical release to at least 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets with a seven-day run within 45 days of their initial release. Voting was conducted by the Academy’s 10,136 members, who selected nominees across all categories.
Complete List of Major Category Nominations
Best Picture Nominees
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
Best Actor Nominees
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Best Supporting Actor Nominees
Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo, Sinners
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgard, Sentimental Value
Best Actress Nominees
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne,
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
– Rose Byrne
Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Emma Stone, Bugonia
Best Supporting Actress Nominees
Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Best Director Nominees
Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Additional Categories Recognizing Film Craftsmanship
Best Animated Feature Films include Arco, Elio, KPop Demon Hunters,
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
, and Zootopia 2.
Best Animated Short Films nominees are Butterfly, Forevergreen, The Girl Who Cried Pearls,
Retirement Plan
, and The Three Sisters.
Casting Director Nominations extend to Nina Gold for Hamnet, Jennifer Venditti for Marty Supreme, Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another, Gabriel Domingues for The Secret Agent, and Francine Maisler for Sinners.
Cinematography nods were awarded to Dan Laustsen for Frankenstein, Darius Khondji for Marty Supreme, Michael Bauman for One Battle After Another, Autumn Durald Arkapaw for Sinners, and Adolpho Veloso for Train Dreams.
Costume Design nominations include Deborah L. Scott (Avatar: Fire and Ash), Kate Hawley (Frankenstein), Malgosia Turzanska (Hamnet), Miyako Bellizzi (Marty Supreme), and Ruth E. Carter (Sinners).
Documentary Feature Film Nominees are The Alabama Solution,
Come See Me in the Good Light
, Cutting Through Rocks, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, and The Perfect Neighbor. Documentary Short Film nominees include All the Empty Rooms,
Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud
,
Children No More: Were and Are Gone
, The Devil Is Busy, and Perfectly a Strangeness.
Film Editing nods feature Stephen Mirrione for F1, Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, Andy Jurgensen for One Battle After Another, Olivier Bugge Coutté for Sentimental Value, and Michael P. Shawver for Sinners.
The International Feature Film category lists The Secret Agent (Brazil), It Was Just an Accident (France), Sentimental Value (Norway), Sirat (Spain), and The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia).
Live Action Short Films include Butcher’s Stain, A Friend of Dorothy, Jane Austen’s Period Drama, The Singers, and Two People Exchanging Saliva.
Makeup and Hairstyling recognitions cover Frankenstein, Kokuho, Sinners, The Smashing Machine, and The Ugly Stepsister.
Original Score nominations were awarded to Jerskin Fendrix for Bugonia, Alexandre Desplat for Frankenstein, Max Richter for Hamnet, Jonny Greenwood for One Battle After Another, and Ludwig Goransson for Sinners.
Original Song contenders include “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless, “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters, “I Lied To You” from Sinners, “Sweet Dreams Of Joy” from Viva Verdi!, and “Train Dreams” from Train Dreams.
Production Design nods went to Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, and Sinners. Sound categories recognized F1, Frankenstein, One Battle After Another, Sinners, and Sirat. Visual effects nominations include Avatar: Fire and Ash, F1, Jurassic World Rebirth, The Lost Bus, and Sinners.
Adapted screenplay contenders are Will Tracy for Bugonia, Guillermo Del Toro for Frankenstein, Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell for Hamnet, Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another, and Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar for Train Dreams. Original screenplay nominees include Robert Kaplow (Blue Moon), Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident), Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme), Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value), and Ryan Coogler for Sinners.
Implications and Outlook for the Oscars Next Year
Ryan Coogler’s achievement with Sinners is a milestone reflecting both the film’s artistic breadth and resonance with the Academy’s evolving standards. Its record-breaking nominations suggest strong possibilities for multiple wins, potentially reshaping Coogler’s career and the industry’s landscape regarding genre blending and historical narratives.
The competitive field, particularly in acting and directing, underscores the diversity of storytelling celebrated this year, spanning historical dramas, sports comedies, and dark comedies, featuring performances from established icons like Leonardo DiCaprio and emerging talent such as Elle Fanning. Fans and critics alike are closely watching to see whether frontrunners like Timothée Chalamet will maintain momentum or if other contenders will upset expectations.
With the Oscars embracing greater inclusivity and adding new categories like casting, the ceremony reflects ongoing shifts in Hollywood’s recognition of varied cinematic crafts. The final outcomes on March 15 will not only honor excellence but may also influence the industry’s future direction amid intense studio dynamics and creative competition.
