The 2026 Oscar nominations are officially out, and if you were looking for a movie that came to dominate the conversation, that would be Sinners, which walked away with a jaw dropping 16 nominations, the most for a single film this year. That is not just leading the pack, that is setting the pace and daring everyone else to keep up.
The ceremony goes down Sunday, March 15, hosted by Conan O’Brien, airing on ABC and streaming on Hulu. Mark your calendar now, because this one looks like it is going to get weird in all the right ways.
Let’s break down the highlights.
Sinners Makes History and Michael B. Jordan Levels Up
At the center of this year’s Oscars storm is Sinners, a gothic horror drama set in 1930s Mississippi that somehow blends dread, ambition, and blockbuster scale without feeling like a Frankenstein of ideas.
Michael B. Jordan plays twin brothers Smoke and Stack, and in doing so scored his first ever Oscar nomination, which feels long overdue. The film also picked up nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and just about everything else short of Best Snack in the Lobby.
This is the kind of movie that does not just collect nominations. It changes the temperature of the room.
One Battle After Another Is Right Behind It
Not far behind is One Battle After Another, landing 13 nominations, including Best Picture and a Best Actor nod for Leonardo DiCaprio.
The film is political, intense, and not particularly interested in being subtle, which is probably why it keeps showing up across categories. It also gave Teyana Taylor one of the most buzzed-about performances of the year, earning her a supporting actress nomination.
If Sinners is the heavyweight champion, One Battle After Another is the fighter who refuses to stay down.
The Best Picture Lineup Is Stacked
This year’s Best Picture race feels less like a polite competition and more like a film festival showdown.
The nominees are:
- Bugonia
- F1
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- Train Dreams
There is prestige drama, genre madness, international cinema, and one extremely chaotic sounding racing movie. In other words, something for every kind of movie nerd.
Actors Stealing the Spotlight
Best Actor Nominees
- Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
- Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
- Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
- Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
- Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Chalamet scoring a Best Actor nomination two years in a row tells you everything about his current trajectory. Meanwhile, Hawke sneaking in with Blue Moon gives the category some welcome gravitas.
Supporting Actor Highlights
- Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another
- Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
- Delroy Lindo, Sinners
- Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
- Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
Delroy Lindo finally getting this kind of recognition is a win for cinema in general.
Best Actress and Supporting Actress Bring the Heat
Best Actress Nominees
- 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
Yes, Emma Stone is back. Again. Like a friendly ghost that never actually leaves.
Supporting Actress Nominees
- Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
- Amy Madigan, Weapons
- Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
- Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value quietly cleaning up across acting categories is one of the more interesting storylines this year.
Animated Films Are Quietly Killing It
Best Animated Feature includes:
- Arco
- Elio
- KPop Demon Hunters
- Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
- Zootopia 2
Zootopia 2 being here is not shocking, but KPop Demon Hunters crashing the party definitely is, and the internet is already having fun with that.
Craft Categories Where Movies Really Show Their Muscle
Some of the most impressive storytelling this year lives in the technical categories.
Cinematography
Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Train Dreams
Costume Design
Avatar Fire and Ash, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, Sinners
Directing
- Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
- Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
- Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
- Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
- Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Yes, Ryan Coogler being here again makes perfect sense.
Writing Categories Where Texas Shows Up Big
Adapted Screenplay
- Bugonia
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- One Battle After Another
- Train Dreams
Train Dreams here is especially worth noting, written by Texas-connected filmmakers Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar.
Original Screenplay
- Blue Moon
- It Was Just an Accident
- Marty Supreme
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
This is one of the strongest writing lineups in years, which usually means a very angry internet when one of these does not win.
The 2026 Oscars are shaping up to be less about polite applause and more about bold swings, big performances, and films that actually feel different from one another.
Sinners made history. One Battle After Another is not far behind. And the rest of the lineup proves that this was not a safe, predictable movie year.
Which is exactly how it should be.
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