This year’s awards season has been an unsuspecting affair — and who will take home an Oscar win is anyone’s guess.
Ryan Coogler’s horror-thriller Sinners leads with a record-breaking 16 nominations at the 2026 ceremony, held on Sunday, March 15, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, with nods in categories like Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Michael B. Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku, and Delroy Lindo also received nominations in their respective acting categories.
After winning big at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, however, it seemed like it would be One Battle After Another — nominated for 13 Oscars this year — that would recreate Oppenheimer’s 2025 sweep. That then changed after SAG’s Actor Awards earlier this month, when Sinners took home some of the night’s most important wins, including Best Cast and Best Male Actor for Jordan.
“I wasn’t expecting this at all,” the actor, who portrays twins Smoke and Stack in the movie, told the audience as they gave him a standing ovation. “I’m so honored and privileged to be nominated in this category with people and actors and humans that I love, and I love their work and I love what they contribute to our craft.”
Marty Supreme’s Timothée Chalamet — who won at the Globes and Critics’ Choice — One Battle After Another’s Leonardo DiCaprio, Blue Moon’s Ethan Hawke and Bugonia’s Jesse Plemons were also nominated.
Other 2026 Actor Award wins, like Weapons’ Amy Madigan for Female Actor in a Supporting Role, were additional surprises, officially making many of the categories a toss-up.
Keep scrolling for Us Weekly’s last-minute predictions for the 2026 Oscars:
Best Picture
Michael B. Jordan, Wunmi Mosaku, Hailee Steinfeld, Michael B. Jordan, and Omar Benson Miller in Sinners’. Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
Nominated:
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
Will Win: Sinners
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated:
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Will Win: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated:
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Emma Stone, Bugonia
Will Win: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated:
Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo, Sinners
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
Will Win: Delroy Lindo, Sinners
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominated:
Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Will Win: Amy Madigan, Weapons
Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
Nominated:
Blue Moon
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Will Win: Sinners
Best Directing
Nominated:
Chloe Zhao, Hamnet
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Will Win: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Nominated:
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Train Dreams
Will Win: One Battle After Another
Best Animated Feature Film
Nominated:
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Will Win: KPop Demon Hunters
Best Costume Design
Nominated:
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Will Win: Frankenstein
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Nominated:
Frankenstein
Kokuho
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister
Will Win: Frankenstein
Best Music (Original Score)
Nominated:
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Will Win: Sinners
Placing a bet on the 2026 Oscars’ biggest categories is easier said than done. As the countdown continues for Hollywood’s biggest night, movie fans are making their predictions for who will win big in the top categories, including best actor, best actress and best director. Although Sinners dominates the nominations list with a record-breaking 16 […]
Best International Feature Film
Nominated:
The Secret Agent, Brazil
It Was Just an Accident, France
Sentimental Value, Norway
Sirāt, Spain
The Voice of Hind Rajab, Tunisia
Will Win: Sentimental Value
