The Academy revealed its nominations for the 98th Academy Awards on January 22, 2026, and one film stood above the rest in historic fashion. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, a horror film set in 1930s Mississippi, captured a record-breaking 16 nominations, surpassing the previous high watermark and cementing itself as the film to beat heading into Oscar Sunday.
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Actors Lewis Pullman and Danielle Brooks announced the nominees from Beverly Hills early Thursday morning, setting up what promises to be one of the most competitive Oscar races in recent memory. The ceremony is scheduled for March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, with Conan O’Brien serving as host.
Sinners Dominates With Historic Haul
Sinners earned nominations across nearly every major category, including Best Picture, Best Director for Coogler, Best Original Screenplay, and a first-time Best Actor nod for Michael B. Jordan, who plays twins Smoke and Stack in the supernatural thriller. The film also scored supporting nominations for Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku, both first-time Oscar nominees.
The recognition represents the culmination of Coogler and Jordan’s remarkable creative partnership, which began with Fruitvale Station and continued through the Creed and Black Panther franchises. That Sinners would become their most Academy-friendly collaboration speaks to Hollywood’s expanding appetite for genre films that blend social commentary with visceral entertainment.
One Battle After Another Emerges As Strong Contender
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another followed with 13 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and a Best Actor nod for Leonardo DiCaprio. The film also earned supporting nominations for Benicio del Toro, Sean Penn, and first-time nominee Teyana Taylor, along with recognition for its cinematography, editing, production design, and sound work.
Anderson, already a six-time Oscar nominee, continues his streak as one of Hollywood’s most consistently celebrated filmmakers. DiCaprio, meanwhile, adds another Best Actor nomination to a career that has produced two wins and seven total acting nods.
Best Picture Race Features Strong Field
The Academy selected ten films for Best Picture contention:
Bugonia (Yorgos Lanthimos), F1 (Joseph Kosinski), Frankenstein (Guillermo del Toro), Hamnet (Chloé Zhao), Marty Supreme (Josh Safdie), One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson), The Secret Agent (Kleber Mendonça Filho), Sentimental Value (Joachim Trier), Sinners (Ryan Coogler), and Train Dreams (Clint Bentley).
Notably absent: Avatar: Fire and Ash and Wicked: For Good both fell short of their franchise predecessors in Academy recognition, despite strong box office performances.
Acting Races Packed With First-Timers
The Best Actor category features Timothée Chalamet earning his second consecutive nomination for the frenetic table tennis drama Marty Supreme. He joins DiCaprio, Jordan, Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) in a loaded field.
Best Actress nominees include Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), and Emma Stone (Bugonia).
The supporting categories introduced several newcomers to Oscar voters. Jacob Elordi earned his first nomination for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, while the Norwegian drama Sentimental Value produced four acting nominees: Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas in supporting actress, plus Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård in lead and supporting roles respectively.
New Casting Category Makes Debut
The Academy introduced a new category this year: Achievement in Casting. The inaugural nominees are Nina Gold (Hamnet), Jennifer Venditti (Marty Supreme), Cassandra Kulukundis (One Battle After Another), Gabriel Domingues (The Secret Agent), and Francine Maisler (Sinners).
The addition reflects growing recognition of casting directors’ creative contributions to filmmaking, a campaign that has been building for years within the industry.
International and Documentary Categories
The Best International Feature Film category features entries from Brazil (The Secret Agent), France (It Was Just an Accident), Norway (Sentimental Value), Spain (Sirāt), and Tunisia (The Voice of Hind Rajab).
Documentary Feature nominees include The Alabama Solution, Come See Me in the Good Light, Cutting Through Rocks, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, and The Perfect Neighbor.
Animation and Technical Categories
Best Animated Feature nominees are Arco, Elio, KPop Demon Hunters, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, and Zootopia 2. The category notably excludes major animated releases that were expected contenders.
In Best Original Score, nominees include Jerskin Fendrix (Bugonia), Alexandre Desplat (Frankenstein), Max Richter (Hamnet), Jonny Greenwood (One Battle After Another), and Ludwig Goransson (Sinners).
Visual Effects nominations went to Avatar: Fire and Ash, F1, Jurassic World Rebirth, The Lost Bus, and Sinners.
How To Watch The 2026 Oscars
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony airs Sunday, March 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC. The broadcast will also stream live on Hulu for subscribers. Conan O’Brien returns as host following his well-received debut last year.
With Sinners’ record-breaking nominations and a competitive field across categories, the road to Oscar Sunday promises plenty of drama, campaigning, and surprises before a single envelope gets opened.