Awards season just got a lot more interesting.
The 2026 Oscar nominations dropped this week, shaking up what many assumed would be a predictable race and sending cinephiles scrambling to update their watchlists.
Forget catching up on Wicked: For Good—the real homework involves titles like Train Dreams and Blue Moon.
And yes, F1 somehow became a Best Picture contender, proving that high-octane thrills and Academy recognition aren’t mutually exclusive after all.
Best Picture Contenders Worth Your Time
Bugonia: Alien Abduction Meets Oscar Gold
Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone continue their awards-season dominance with Bugonia, earning nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress, Adapted Screenplay, and Original Score.
Stone plays a pharmaceutical CEO kidnapped by cousins convinced she’s extraterrestrial. Despite mixed reception since Venice, the film secured its spot through sheer Lanthimos weirdness—though critic Bilge Ebiri noted this might be his most grounded work yet.
It’s the first picture of his populated by characters who feel like they exist in the real world.
Where to watch: Streaming on Peacock
F1: The Surprise Blockbuster Nobody Saw Coming
Joseph Kosinski’s racing spectacle grabbed the tenth Best Picture slot, sidelining Wicked: For Good and It Was Just an Accident in the process.
Nominated for Film Editing, Sound, and Visual Effects, F1 has become one of Apple’s most successful theatrical releases—ironic considering rumors suggested it might be their last if box office numbers disappointed.
Where to watch: Apple TV
Frankenstein: Del Toro’s Gothic Vision
Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic collected eight nominations, including Best Picture and Supporting Actor for Jacob Elordi as the monster.
Critics debated pacing and characterization. Some balked at ending with Lord Byron instead of Shelley herself. But audiences embraced gorgeous production design and Elordi’s stunning performance, giving the film remarkable staying power on Netflix.
Where to watch: Netflix
Hamnet: Shakespeare Family Drama
Chloé Zhao directed this adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, earning seven nominations including Best Picture and Best Actress for Jessie Buckley.
Paul Mescal plays Shakespeare with an earring, but Buckley steals every scene as Agnes, the Bard’s wife navigating devastating grief. She’s been the front-runner since Telluride, and sentimentality apparently resonates with Academy voters.
Where to watch: In theaters
Marty Supreme: Chalamet’s Table Tennis Triumph
Timothée Chalamet’s relentless press tour paid dividends. Josh Safdie’s high-energy table-tennis drama earned nine nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Chalamet against his idol Leonardo DiCaprio.
The supporting cast—Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A’zion, Tyler the Creator, even Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary—adds unexpected entertainment value to an already thrilling sports story.
Where to watch: In theaters
One Battle After Another: PTA’s Revolutionary Epic
Paul Thomas Anderson’s drama about revolutionaries dominated with 14 nominations, nearly matching Sinners for most-nominated film.
Leonardo DiCaprio leads alongside Benicio del Toro, Sean Penn, and Teyana Taylor in Supporting roles. Warner Bros. essentially competes against itself with both films under its banner.
Where to watch: HBO Max
The Secret Agent: Brazilian Political Thriller
Wagner Moura’s Cannes Best Actor win translated into Oscar momentum. Kleber Mendonça Filho’s drama about academics hiding from enemies during Brazil’s 1970s military dictatorship earned four nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor.
Tânia Maria delivers a stellar supporting performance in this ensemble piece that’s maintained impressive awards-season legs.
Where to watch: In theaters
Sentimental Value: Family Dysfunction at Its Finest
Joachim Trier’s intimate family drama recovered from SAG shutout to collect nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and acting nods for Renate Reinsve, Elle Fanning, Stellan Skarsgård, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas.
Recognition felt essential for a film built entirely on performances capturing complicated family dynamics.
Where to watch: VOD
Sinners: Horror Makes History
Ryan Coogler’s genre thriller became the most Oscar-nominated film ever with 15 nods across every major category.
Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, and Wunmi Mosaku earned acting recognition while the film swept technical categories. Massive validation for horror representation at Hollywood’s biggest awards show.
Where to watch: HBO Max
Train Dreams: Netflix’s Unlikely Indie Success
What seemed like death for this Sundance acquisition—getting bought by Netflix—may have propelled it to Best Picture nomination instead.
The intimate indie collected four nominations including Cinematography, Original Song, and Adapted Screenplay. Sometimes streaming platforms get it right.
Where to watch: Netflix
Notable Performances and Surprises
Rose Byrne’s charisma carried If I Had Legs I’d Kick You from Sundance to Best Actress nomination. She’s Jessie Buckley’s strongest competition in what many consider a locked race.
Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater reunited for Blue Moon, adding another established actor-director duo to this year’s nomination list.
Kate Hudson shocked prognosticators by landing Best Actress recognition for Song Sung Blue. Music biopics may be losing steam, but Hudson’s cover-band artist broke through anyway.
Genre Films Break Through
Horror received unprecedented recognition this year. Weapons earned Amy Madigan a Supporting Actress nomination for playing a youth-obsessed witch—proof that grassroots campaigns work.
The Ugly Stepsister grabbed Makeup and Hairstyling recognition. Even Avatar: Fire and Ash somehow scored Costume Design and Visual Effects nods.
Documentary standouts include The Alabama Solution, featuring footage captured by incarcerated men inside Alabama prisons, and The Perfect Neighbor, composed entirely of body-cam footage documenting escalating neighbor disputes ending in tragedy.
Animation Gets Weird
A strange year for animation opened doors for unexpected nominees. KPop Demon Hunters became Netflix’s surprise hit, combining musical comedy with supernatural action.
Pixar’s softly-received Elio squeezed through, while France’s Arco featured an English dub with Natalie Portman, Mark Ruffalo, and Will Ferrell.
International Cinema Representation
The Voice of Hind Rajab received a record 23-minute standing ovation at Venice. Tunisia’s entry depicts the real-life killing of a Palestinian girl by IDF soldiers through docudrama format.
Morocco’s Sirāt follows a father searching for his daughter across desert landscapes. Japan’s Kokuho centers on a teen dedicating himself to Kabuki art.
Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident earned International Feature and Original Screenplay nods but missed Best Picture entirely—one of the Academy’s stranger choices.
March 15 Can’t Come Soon Enough
With two months until the ceremony, Oscar completists have serious homework. Streaming services hold most titles, but several remain theatrical-only for now.
The 2026 nominations delivered surprises, snubs, and genuine excitement for film diversity. Horror broke through barriers. International cinema gained ground. Blockbusters like F1 proved box office success doesn’t preclude critical recognition.
Whether Sinners makes history or Hamnet sweeps acting categories, this year’s race promises genuine unpredictability—exactly what awards season needed after last year’s Emilia Pérez domination.