Ryan Coogler’s blues-steeped vampire epic “Sinners” led all films with 16 nominations to the 98th Academy Awards on Thursday, setting a record for the most in Oscar history.
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voters showered “Sinners” with more nominations than they had ever bestowed before, breaking the 14-nomination mark set by “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land.” Along with best picture, Coogler was nominated for best director and best screenplay, and double-duty star Michael B. Jordan was rewarded with his first Oscar nomination, for best actor.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s father-daughter revolutionary saga “One Battle After Another,” the favorite coming into nominations, trailed in second with 13 of its own. Four of its actors — Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn — were nominated, though newcomer Chase Infiniti was left out in best actress.
In those two top nominees, the film academy put its full force behind a pair of visceral and bracingly original American epics that each connected with a fraught national moment. Coogler’s Jim Crow-era film — the rare horror movie to win the academy’s favor — conjures a mythical allegory of Black life. In “One Battle After Another,” a dormant spirit of rebellion is revived in an out-of-control police state.
Both are also Warner Bros. titles. In the midst of a contentious sale to Netflix, the 102-year-old studio had one of its best Oscar nominations mornings ever. As the fate of Warner Bros., which Netflix is buying for $72 billion, hangs in the balance amid a challenge from Paramount Skydance, Hollywood is bracing for potentially the largest realignment in the film industry’s history.
The 10 films nominated for best picture are “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “One Battle After Another,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value,” “Sinners” and “Train Dreams.”
Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme” and Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” all scored nine nominations.
The nine for “Marty Supreme” included a third best actor nod for 30-year-old Timothée Chalamet, the favorite in the category he narrowly missed winning last year for “A Complete Unknown.” With Jordan and Chalamet, the nominees are Leonardo DiCaprio for “One Battle After Another,” Ethan Hawke for “Blue Moon” and Wagner Moura for “The Secret Agent.”
Nominated for best actress was the category favorite, Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”), along with Rose Byrne (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”), Kate Hudson (“Song Sung Blue”), Renate Reinsve (“Sentimental Value”) and two-time winner Emma Stone, who landed her sixth nomination, for “Bugonia.”
“KPop” leads a field light on big hits
The year’s most-watched movie, with more than half a billion views on Netflix, “KPop Demon Hunters,” scored nominations for both best song (“Golden”) and best animated feature. Sony Pictures developed and produced the film, but, after selling it to Netflix, watched it become a worldwide sensation.
Blockbusters otherwise had a difficult morning. Universal Pictures’ “Wicked: For Good” was shut out entirely. While “Avatar: Fire and Ash” notched nominations for costume design and visual effects, it became the first “Avatar” film not nominated for best picture. The biggest box-office hit nominated for Hollywood’s top award instead was “F1,” an Apple production that landed four nominations. The streamer partnered with Warner Bros. to distribute the racing drama.
This year, the Oscars are introducing a new category for casting. That new honor helped “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” pad their already impressive stats. Along with those two films, the nominees are “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme” and “The Secret Agent.”
An international shift continues
The academy, which has expanded its overseas membership in recent years, also continued its tilt toward international films. Every category included one international nominee. For the eighth year in the row, a non-English-language film was nominated for best picture. More non-English performances were nominated than ever before.
The top nominee of them all was Joachim Trier’s Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value.” It cleaned up in the supporting actor categories, with nods for Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter LilIeaas and Elle Fanning. Also nominated for best supporting actress, in addition to Taylor: Amy Madigan for “Weapons” and Wunmi Mosaku for “Sinners.” In supporting actor, the nominees included Jacob Elordi for “Frankenstein” and, in a surprise that likely dislodged Paul Mescal of “Hamnet,” Delroy Lindo for “Sinners.”
A competitive best international feature category mirrored the turbulent state of the world. That included the Iranian revenge drama and Palme d’Or winner “It Was Just an Accident,” by the often-imprisoned filmmaker Jafar Panahi. He’s spoken passionately against the ongoing crackdown of demonstrators in his home country. France nominated the film.
Also nominated: the Tunisian entry “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” about volunteers at the Palestine Red Crescent Society; the Brazilian political thriller “The Secret Agent”; the apocalyptic Spanish road movie “Sirât” and “Sentimental Value.”
The 98th Academy Awards will take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will be televised live on ABC and Hulu. YouTube’s new deal to exclusively air won’t take effect until 2029. This year, Conan O’Brien will return as host.
NOMINATIONS BY CATEGORY – 98TH AWARDS
Performance by an actor in a leading role
Timothée Chalamet in “Marty Supreme” (A24)
Leonardo DiCaprio in “One Battle after Another” (Warner Bros.)
Ethan Hawke in “Blue Moon” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Michael B. Jordan in “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Wagner Moura in “The Secret Agent” (Neon)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Benicio Del Toro in “One Battle after Another” (Warner Bros.)
Jacob Elordi in “Frankenstein” (Netflix)
Delroy Lindo in “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Sean Penn in “One Battle after Another” (Warner Bros.)
Stellan Skarsgård in “Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Jessie Buckley in “Hamnet” (Focus Features)
Rose Byrne in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” (A24)
Kate Hudson in “Song Sung Blue” (Focus Features)
Renate Reinsve in “Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Emma Stone in “Bugonia” (Focus Features)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Elle Fanning in “Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas in “Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Amy Madigan in “Weapons” (Warner Bros.)
Wunmi Mosaku in “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Teyana Taylor in “One Battle after Another” (Warner Bros.)
Best animated feature film of the year
“Arco” (Neon) Ugo Bienvenu, Félix de Givry, Sophie Mas and Natalie Portman
“Elio” (Walt Disney) Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina and Mary Alice Drumm
“KPop Demon Hunters” (Netflix) Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans and Michelle L.M. Wong
“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” (GKIDS) Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han, Nidia Santiago and Henri Magalon
“Zootopia 2” (Walt Disney) Jared Bush, Byron Howard and Yvett Merino
Best animated short film
“Butterfly” (Sacrebleu Productions) Florence Miailhe and Ron Dyens
“Forevergreen” Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears
“The Girl Who Cried Pearls” (National Film Board of Canada) Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski
“Retirement Plan” John Kelly and Andrew Freedman
“The Three Sisters” (Polydont Films/Rymanco Ventures) Konstantin Bronzit
Achievement in casting
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) Nina Gold
“Marty Supreme” (A24) Jennifer Venditti
“One Battle after Another” (Warner Bros.) Cassandra Kulukundis
“The Secret Agent” (Neon) Gabriel Domingues
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) Francine Maisler
Achievement in cinematography
“Frankenstein” (Netflix) Dan Laustsen
“Marty Supreme” (A24) Darius Khondji
“One Battle after Another” (Warner Bros.) Michael Bauman
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) Autumn Durald Arkapaw
“Train Dreams” (Netflix) Adolpho Veloso
Achievement in costume design
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” (Walt Disney) Deborah L. Scott
“Frankenstein” (Netflix) Kate Hawley
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) Malgosia Turzanska
“Marty Supreme” (A24) Miyako Bellizzi
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) Ruth E. Carter
Achievement in directing
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) Chloé Zhao
“Marty Supreme” (A24) Josh Safdie
“One Battle after Another” (Warner Bros.) Paul Thomas Anderson
“Sentimental Value” (Neon) Joachim Trier
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) Ryan Coogler
Best documentary feature film
“The Alabama Solution” (HBO Documentary Films)
An HBO Documentary Films/Alabama Film Project Production
Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman
“Come See Me in the Good Light” (Apple)
An Apple Original Films/Tripod Media/Amplify Pictures in association with Treat Media/Something Fierce Production
Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro and Stef Willen
“Cutting through Rocks”
A Gandom Films Production
Sara Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni
“Mr. Nobody against Putin” (PINK)
A PINK Production
Nominees to be determined
“The Perfect Neighbor” (Netflix)
A Netflix Documentary/Message Pictures in association with SO’B/Park Pictures Production
Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu and Sam Bisbee
Best documentary short film
“All the Empty Rooms” (Netflix) Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones
“Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud” (HBO) Craig Renaud and Juan Arredondo
“Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”” (Sky) Hilla Medalia and Sheila Nevins
“The Devil Is Busy” (HBO) Christalyn Hampton and Geeta Gandbhir
“Perfectly a Strangeness” (Second Sight Pictures) Alison McAlpine
Achievement in film editing
“F1” (Apple) Stephen Mirrione
“Marty Supreme” (A24) Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie
“One Battle after Another” (Warner Bros.) Andy Jurgensen
“Sentimental Value” (Neon) Olivier Bugge Coutté
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) Michael P. Shawver
Best international feature film of the year
“The Secret Agent”
A CinemaScópio Production
Brazil
“It Was Just an Accident”
A Les Films Pelléas Production
France
“Sentimental Value”
A Mer Film/Eye Eye Pictures Production
Norway
“Sirāt”
An El Deseo Production
Spain
“The Voice of Hind Rajab”
A Mime Films Production
Tunisia
Best live action short film
“Butcher’s Stain” (Tel Aviv University Steve Tisch School of Film and TV) Meyer Levinson-Blount and Oron Caspi
“A Friend of Dorothy” Lee Knight and James Dean
“Jane Austen’s Period Drama” Julia Aks and Steve Pinder
“The Singers” (Netflix) Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt
“Two People Exchanging Saliva” (Canal+/The New Yorker) Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata
Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
“Frankenstein” (Netflix) Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey
“Kokuho” (GKIDS) Kyoko Toyokawa, Naomi Hibino and Tadashi Nishimatsu
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine and Shunika Terry
“The Smashing Machine” (A24) Kazu Hiro, Glen Griffin and Bjoern Rehbein
“The Ugly Stepsister” (Independent Film Company/Shudder) Thomas Foldberg and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
“Bugonia” (Focus Features) Jerskin Fendrix
“Frankenstein” (Netflix) Alexandre Desplat
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) Max Richter
“One Battle after Another” (Warner Bros.) Jonny Greenwood
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) Ludwig Goransson
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“Dear Me” from “Diane Warren: Relentless” (MasterClass/ Greenwich Entertainment)
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
“Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters” (Netflix)
Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon and Teddy Park
“I Lied To You” from “Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Music and Lyric by Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson
“Sweet Dreams Of Joy” from “Viva Verdi!” (Viva Verdi!)
Music and Lyric by Nicholas Pike
“Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams” (Netflix)
Music by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner. Lyric by Nick Cave
Best motion picture of the year
“Bugonia” (Focus Features)
An Element Pictures/Square Peg/CJ ENM in association with Pith/Fruit Tree Enterprises Production
Ed Guiney & Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone and Lars Knudsen, Producers
“F1” (Apple)
An Apple Original Films/Monolith Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer/Plan B Entertainment/Dawn Apollo Films Production
Chad Oman, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer, Producers
“Frankenstein” (Netflix)
A Netflix/Double Dare You/Demilo Films/Bluegrass 7 Production
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Scott Stuber, Producers
“Hamnet” (Focus Features)
A Hera Pictures/Neal Street/Amblin Entertainment in association with Book of Shadows Production
Liza Marshall, Pippa Harris, Nicolas Gonda, Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes, Producers
“Marty Supreme” (A24)
An A24/Central Group Production
Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Anthony Katagas and Timothée Chalamet, Producers
“One Battle after Another” (Warner Bros.)
A Ghoulardi Film Company Production
Adam Somner, Sara Murphy and Paul Thomas Anderson, Producers
“The Secret Agent” (Neon)
A CinemaScópio/MK/Lemming Film/One Two Films Production
Emilie Lesclaux, Producer
“Sentimental Value” (Neon)
A Mer Film/Eye Eye Pictures/MK/Lumen/Zentropa/
Komplizen Film/BBC Film Production
Maria Ekerhovd and Andrea Berentsen Ottmar, Producers
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
A Proximity Media Production
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian and Ryan Coogler, Producers
“Train Dreams” (Netflix)
A Black Bear/Kamala Films Production
Marissa McMahon, Teddy Schwarzman, Will Janowitz, Ashley Schlaifer and Michael Heimler, Producers
Achievement in production design
“Frankenstein” (Netflix) Production Design: Tamara Deverell
Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) Production Design: Fiona Crombie
Set Decoration: Alice Felton
“Marty Supreme” (A24) Production Design: Jack Fisk
Set Decoration: Adam Willis
“One Battle after Another” (Warner Bros.) Production Design: Florencia Martin
Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) Production Design: Hannah Beachler
Set Decoration: Monique Champagne
Achievement in sound
“F1” (Apple) Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta
“Frankenstein” (Netflix) Greg Chapman, Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke and Brad Zoern
“One Battle after Another” (Warner Bros.) José Antonio García, Christopher Scarabosio and Tony Villaflor
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) Chris Welcker, Benjamin A. Burtt, Felipe Pacheco, Brandon Proctor and Steve Boeddeker
“Sirāt” (Neon) Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas and Yasmina Praderas
Achievement in visual effects
“Avatar: Fire and Ash” (Walt Disney) Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
“F1” (Apple) Ryan Tudhope, Nicolas Chevallier, Robert Harrington and Keith Dawson
“Jurassic World Rebirth” (Universal) David Vickery, Stephen Aplin, Charmaine Chan and Neil Corbould
“The Lost Bus” (Apple) Charlie Noble, David Zaretti, Russell Bowen and Brandon K. McLaughlin
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter and Donnie Dean
Adapted screenplay
“Bugonia” (Focus Features) Screenplay by Will Tracy
“Frankenstein” (Netflix) Written for the Screen by Guillermo del Toro
“Hamnet” (Focus Features) Screenplay by Chloé Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell
“One Battle after Another” (Warner Bros.) Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
“Train Dreams” (Netflix) Screenplay by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Original screenplay
“Blue Moon” (Sony Pictures Classics) Written by Robert Kaplow
“It Was Just an Accident” (Neon) Written by Jafar Panahi Script collaborators – Nader Saïvar, ShadmehrRastin, Mehdi Mahmoudian
“Marty Supreme” (A24) Written by Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie
“Sentimental Value” (Neon) Written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) Written by Ryan Coogler
