The Academy has unveiled its 2026 Oscar nominations, and this year’s race is one for the history books. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners has stormed the field with a record-shattering 16 nominations, surpassing the long-standing benchmark of 14 set by All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997), and La La Land (2016).
The powerful drama is vying for top honors in categories including Best Picture, Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Best Supporting Actress (Wunmi Mosaku), Best Supporting Actor (Delroy Lindo), and Best Director for Coogler, who also earned a nod for Original Screenplay. Technical and creative categories where Sinners is recognized include Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Sound, Editing, Makeup & Hairstyling, Casting, Visual Effects, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song for “I Lied To You.”
Close behind is Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, securing 13 nominations and marking a major win for Warner Bros., which tied its own record of 30 total nominations set in 2005. Streaming giants and indie distributors also made strong showings: Netflix and Neon each scored 18 nominations, Focus Features received 13, and A24 earned 11.
Among other contenders, Netflix’s Frankenstein, A24’s Marty Supreme, and Neon’s Sentimental Value each collected nine nominations, while Focus’ Hamnet earned eight nods. All join the Best Picture race alongside Sinners, One Battle After Another, Focus’ Bugonia, Apple’s F1, Neon’s The Secret Agent, and Netflix’s Train Dreams.
One of the day’s biggest shocks was the complete shutout of Wicked: For Good, despite its predecessor’s strong showing last year with 10 nominations and two wins. Notable omissions included Guillermo del Toro (Hamnet) from Best Director, Paul Mescal (Hamnet) from Best Supporting Actor, and Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another) from Best Actress.
Several records were broken in this year’s announcement. Timothée Chalamet, star of Marty Supreme, became the youngest male actor to earn three acting nominations at just 30 years old. Steven Spielberg achieved his 14th Best Picture nomination as a producer for Hamnet, setting a new record since the category began recognizing producers in 1951.
International cinema continued to shine, with four non-English language performances nominated — Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Wagner Moura, Renate Reinsve, and Stellan Skarsgård — surpassing the previous record of three set in 1976. In addition, The Secret Agent and Sentimental Value joined the exclusive club of films nominated for both Best Picture and International Feature Film in the same year.
The Animated Feature category is equally competitive, featuring Disney’s Zootopia 2 (now the highest-grossing animated film of all time), Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters (the platform’s most-watched film ever), Neon’s Arco, Pixar’s Elio, and Gkids’ Little Amélie or the Character of Rain.
The 98th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 15, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, airing live on ABC and streaming on Hulu, with Conan O’Brien returning as host.
