Just yesterday, critics, voters, and reporters packed into the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater at a bright and early 5:30 a.m., while hopeful actors, directors, crew members, and thousands of movie fans around the world tuned into the same YouTube Live for the highly anticipated Oscar nominations.
With 24 categories and five nominees each, plus 10 for Best Picture, that’s a total of 125 nominations. Rather than breaking down every single one, here are all the highlights (and reactions), from history-making record breakers to shocking snubs the internet absolutely couldn’t believe.
Sinners Makes History as the Most Oscar Nominated Movie of All Time
It’s the “Sammy!” heard around the world. Ryan Coogler’s vampire period-piece thriller Sinners — have you heard of it? Of course you have. Ever since its release nearly a year ago in April 2025, Sinners hasn’t lost any steam, continually breaking box office projections, racking up dozens of award wins, and cementing itself as one of the defining films of the 2020s. It’s safe to say that its record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations are just the icing on the cake for this cultural phenomenon.
Sinners earned nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Best Supporting Actress (Wunmi Mosaku), Best Supporting Actor (Delroy Lindo), Best Director (Ryan Coogler), and Best Casting, a newly introduced category this year, to name just a few.
Sinners is more than just an awards-season juggernaut. A film that celebrates Black culture, music, and folklore while fully mastering the thriller and vampire genres, two areas Hollywood has historically overlooked or undervalued, is a feat in itself. It feels new and fresh in a way that’s rare, especially for an original film at this scale, and easily stands among the best original films of this century. Its praise would be deserved based on artistic quality alone, but what truly sets Sinners apart is how monumental its cultural impact has been.
Jacob Elordi Becomes the Second Euphoria Actor to Be Nominated for an Oscar
Somehow, Jacob Elordi playing Frankenstein’s Creature just makes sense! And now, it’s officially Oscar-worthy. Our favorite 6’5” Australian Frankenstein’s monster secured one of the five Best Supporting Actor nominations for his performance in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, making him the second Euphoria actor, after Colman Domingo, to earn an Oscar nod.
This is one of my personal favorite nominations of the year as Elordi as the Creature was a largely physical role and Elordi skillfully conveyed heartbreaking emotion and humanity through 42 pieces of prosthetics. It’s a beautiful performance and portrayal of creation, growth, and power.
And while the category is stacked with industry veterans who have decades more experience than Elordi, a win for him would feel bold, unexpected, and inspired for an Award Show that becomes more predictable each year.
Timothee Chalamet Earns His Third & Fourth Oscar Nomination
Timothée Chalamet has never been subtle about what he wants, and his latest Oscar nominations prove he’s getting closer. Last year, his now-viral SAG Awards acceptance speech, in which he openly declared his pursuit of greatness, made waves. “I know we’re in a subjective business,” he said, “but the truth is, I’m really in pursuit of greatness. I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats.”
Since then, it’s been clear that Chalamet is fully locked in. His awards campaign has been anything but subtle, from climbing to the top of the Las Vegas Sphere to rapping with EsDeeKid and traveling with a posse wearing neon orange ping pong balls. Love it or hate it, his commitment has been undeniable.
And it seems like his awards campaign has already begun to pay off in spades.
His transformative performance as Marty Mauser, a rising American table tennis star in the 1950s, earned him a Best Actor nomination, along with a producer nomination for Best Picture. With Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and SAG Awards already under his belt, he’s undeniably the frontrunner for Best Actor.
Wicked: For Good Loses Its Magic on Oscar Morning
It’s hard to think of a harder fall from grace than Wicked. Last year, the film earned a staggering ten nominations and even won two, including major categories like Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress. This year, Wicked: For Good was completely shut out.
This isn’t a huge surprise. The film’s only real shot was Ariana Grande for Best Supporting Actress, and even that always felt like a long shot.
Personally, I just don’t think Wicked: For Good was as good as the first film. The pacing felt off, and the use, or lack of use, of Dorothy was mishandled. The two new songs also didn’t do much for me, especially since one could argue they were included mainly for a shot at a Best Original Song nomination. If the film deserved recognition anywhere, it should’ve been in Costume Design, like last year, solely for the incredible Tin Man costume.
That said, I think Ariana and Cynthia should still be really proud of their performances across both Wicked movies and the love and dedication they brought to Glinda and Elphaba. Oscars or not, they’ll always be outstanding additions to the Wicked canon.
Hamnet’s Wins and Misses
Hamnet is easily one of my top three favorite films of 2025, and it’s not number three or two. Yes, I might be biased as an English major, but this adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, which imagines the life and death of William Shakespeare’s only son and the love and grief that follow, is an absolute masterpiece. When I saw it in theaters, both times, the audience was in tears. Even if this isn’t usually your kind of movie, those final ten minutes can break open just about anyone. The film earned eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Jessie Buckley (who I would honestly bet money on to win), and Best Director.
A movie that when I saw it in theaters, both times, the audience was in tears and completely broken open. The film earned eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Jessie Buckley (who I would honestly bet money on to win), and Best Director.
Buckley’s performance as Agnes, a grieving mother and Shakespeare’s wife, is already one of the most awarded of the decade, but the emotional imprint she leaves on the audience will outlast any trophy. The same can be said for the entire cast, especially 12-year-old Jacobi Jupe as Hamnet. Oh. My. God. His performance as the titular role of Hamnet is achingly soft and gut-wrenching, grounding the film with a vulnerability and emotional intelligence far beyond his years. It’s a shame the last time someone under 18 won an Oscar was in 1974, because the depth and honesty Jupe brings to the screen this year feels genuinely rare.
Furthermore, Paul Mescal, the most recognizable name in the cast and a previous Oscar nominee, missed out on Best Supporting Actor. And while his portrayal of William Shakespeare is, in my opinion, one of his strongest performances, awards season isn’t just about the work itself. It’s an election just like any other. A strong performance alone won’t carry you, you have to make it clear that you want it, that you deserve it, and then spend awards season making sure everyone else knows it too.
Mescal is currently filming four, yes, four Beatles biopics as Paul McCartney, and honestly, that’s where I’m placing the blame for the lack of a campaign here. Let’s hope those films are worth it, but considering how convoluted the whole project sounds, I’m not holding my breath.
At the end of the day, Oscar nominations are always a mix of excitement, frustration, and chaos. Everyone has their own opinions, and to quote Ron Swanson, we all tend to believe that “awards are stupid, but they’d be less stupid if they went to the right people.” But amidst all of that, and the personal connections we form with art that matter far more than any trophy, the debates, predictions, and following the season all the way up to the big night are part of the fun.