Sinners Sets Record as 2026 Oscar Nominations Reveal a Wide, International Field

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 98th Oscar nominations on January 22, 2026, and the headline was immediate and unmistakable: Ryan Coogler’s Sinners led all films with 16 nominations, the most ever received by a single movie. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another followed with 13 nods, while a diverse group of international and independent films also claimed prominent slots in the Best Picture field. The ceremony is set for March 15, 2026, with Conan O’Brien returning as host.

Quick snapshot: the biggest stories from nomination morning

• Sinners set a new all-time record with 16 nominations, topping the previous high of 14.
• One Battle After Another earned 13 nominations, keeping it among the leading contenders.
• The Best Picture slate contains 10 films, including several international-language entries and smaller, awards-season favorites.
• The Academy introduced a casting award this year, and casting credits figured prominently in several high-profile nods.

Leading films and nomination totals

Below is a concise comparison of the films that dominated the morning, showing the industry picture at a glance.

This table captures the top-tier races, but it understates how widely nominations were spread across subtitled films and midbudget prestige pictures, signaling a broad appetite among Academy voters.

"The nominations reflect an unusually wide year, with a blockbuster of craft recognition, an auteur favorite, and several foreign-language films all jockeying for standing."

Major categories and surprises

Best Picture and Best Director

The Best Picture field mixes studio tentpoles, prestige auteurs, and international auteurs. Voters nominated a 10-film Best Picture lineup that pairs heavy awards-season hitters with some unexpected inclusions, emphasizing both craft and storytelling range. In directing, familiar names and returning nominees populate the shortlist, with Paul Thomas Anderson and Ryan Coogler among the heavyweights, and Chloe Zhao and Guillermo del Toro reaffirming their auteur status.

Acting races

• Best Actor: Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, Ethan Hawke and Wagner Moura headline a competitive pack, with Chalamet widely discussed as an early favorite in some outlets.
• Best Actress: Jessie Buckley stands out in several prognostications, joined by Emma Stone, Rose Byrne, Renate Reinsve and Kate Hudson. There were notable snubs, and a few surprise inclusions that reshaped campaign narratives.

Surprises and notable omissions

Campaign watchers pointed to a handful of surprises: high-profile performers who were expected to appear but did not, and a few films that earned box office or festival attention yet missed nominations in categories many pundits expected. Conversely, several subtitled films and smaller international productions scored acting and picture nominations, marking a strong year for global cinema.

Diversity, international presence, and industry trends

This year’s nominations underline a continuing trend, the Academy’s increasing embrace of international and underrepresented voices. Multiple films from outside the English-speaking mainstream received nominations in major categories, including Best Picture and acting slots. Casting, a new Oscar category this year, offered recognition to work often invisible in prior seasons, and that choice seemed to broaden the range of films considered in other categories.

Ruth E. Carter’s nomination for costume design on Sinners is notable, and industry coverage highlighted that she has become one of the most-nominated Black creatives in Academy history. The spread of nominations across small and midbudget films points to voting patterns that reward craft, strong performances, and distinctive directorial vision, rather than pure box office results.

What the nominations mean for the race to March 15

Analysts are already parsing conversion rates, meaning how many nominations usually translate into wins. Historical context matters, a film with many nominations can still leave the ceremony with a modest haul, while a film with fewer nods may win in high-profile categories. Two main narratives will dominate between now and the ceremony:

• The competing tallies: will Sinners’ record-shattering nomination total convert into a commensurate number of wins, or will vote-splitting and category dynamics favor Paul Thomas Anderson and other contenders?
• The international momentum: can subtitled and foreign films leverage acting nominations into broader wins, such as screenplay or picture? If the answer is yes, it would reinforce the Academy’s evolving voter base.

Voting calendar and next steps

Final voting opens late February and closes in early March, giving members a narrow window to rewatch contenders and finalize ballots. The ceremony is scheduled for March 15, and broadcasters will present the awards live across the United States and internationally. Campaigns now shift from nomination celebration to targeted outreach, emphasizing screeners, event screenings, and advertisements aimed at industry voters.

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Nominations announced: January 22, 2026
Final voting: February 26, 2026 to March 5, 2026
Ceremony: March 15, 2026
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Industry reaction and studio strategy

Studios and distributors moved quickly after the announcement, using the nominations in marketing and in fundraising for final push efforts. Talent and creative teams issued statements of gratitude, while trade outlets and pundits weighed the likely winners. Some campaigns will concentrate on single categories where their odds are strongest, while others will press for broader recognition across multiple crafts.

Multiple viewpoints: analysts, studios, and artists

• Awards analysts point to voting history and branch-specific tendencies, suggesting that technical categories could favor films with wide craft recognition, while top-tier awards may go to auteurs with consolidated support.
• Studios will emphasize momentum and try to convert nominations into wins, which can lift box office returns and streaming viewership after the ceremony.
• Artists and filmmakers, many of whom called the nominations a validation of years of work, note that the Academy still grapples with balancing popular taste and peer recognition.

Bottom line: what to watch between now and the Oscars

• Watch category matchups where vote splitting could alter expectations, such as original screenplay or supporting categories.
• Track any late endorsements from guilds and major critics groups, which can shift narratives.
• Expect the campaign focus to sharpen, with targeted finalist outreach and screenings intended to sway the more than 10,000 Academy members who will determine winners.

The nominations have set the table for what promises to be a lively awards season, and the record for Sinners has added an intriguing twist. Over the next seven weeks, films will make their final case, voters will take another look, and a crowded field will try to turn nominations into trophies on March 15.