The wait is officially over. Early this morning, Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman stood at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater and read the names that will basically define the next two months of pop culture. If you’ve been following the trades, you probably saw some of this coming, but honestly? There are a few jaw-droppers in the oscars full list of nominees that even the most seasoned pundits didn’t see hitting the board.
We are looking at a 98th Academy Awards that feels surprisingly... balanced? Maybe that's the word. After years of the "Indie vs. Blockbuster" war, the 2026 slate manages to squeeze in high-octane racing dramas right next to period pieces about Shakespeare's family. It's a vibe.
The Big Ones: Best Picture and Director
Paul Thomas Anderson is back in the driver's seat. His latest, One Battle After Another, absolutely dominated the morning, pulling in a massive haul of nominations. It’s sitting at the top of the pack with nine nods total. Most people expected PTA to be here, but the sheer volume of support for this film suggests it’s the one to beat.
Then you have Hamnet. Chloé Zhao has this way of making history feel incredibly intimate, and the Academy clearly ate it up. It’s such a sharp contrast to Sinners, Ryan Coogler’s vampire thriller that proved the Academy isn’t afraid of genre anymore. Seeing Coogler and Zhao face off in the Best Director category is going to be one of the highlights of the night.
Here is how the Best Picture field actually looks:
👉 See also: Questions From Black Card Revoked: The Culture Test That Might Just Get You Roasted
- One Battle After Another
- Hamnet
- Sinners
- Frankenstein
- Marty Supreme
- Sentimental Value
- Bugonia
- Wicked: For Good
- Avatar: Fire and Ash
- No Other Choice
It’s a crowded house. Ten nominees is still a lot, and you can tell the Academy is trying to keep the ratings up by including massive hits like Avatar and the Wicked sequel. Whether Wicked: For Good actually has a shot at the top prize is a different story, but hey, being nominated is half the battle.
The Acting Races: Chalamet vs. DiCaprio
If you’re looking for a heavyweight fight, look no further than Best Actor. Timothée Chalamet is the frontrunner for Marty Supreme. He’s playing a ping-pong pro, which sounds weird on paper, but if you’ve seen the Safdie brothers' style, you know it’s intense. He's up against Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another. Leo hasn't been this dialed in for years.
The Best Actress category is where things get really interesting. Jessie Buckley is the soul of Hamnet, and she’s currently the one everyone is betting on. But don't sleep on Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value. She was a force in The Worst Person in the World, and her reunion with Joachim Trier has clearly paid off.
Technical Marvels and Visual Spells
Let's talk about the crafts for a second. The oscars full list of nominees for Visual Effects and Sound is basically a "who's who" of big-budget spectacle. F1 managed to sneak into several technical categories, which makes sense given how they filmed those racing sequences. It’s competing against Superman and Avatar: Fire and Ash.
✨ Don't miss: The Reality of Sex Movies From Africa: Censorship, Nollywood, and the Digital Underground
The Music categories are also stacked. Ludwig Göransson is back for Sinners, and honestly, that score is terrifying in the best way possible. Then you have Jonny Greenwood for PTA’s film. It's a clash of the titans in the Original Score category.
Why the Shortlists Mattered
A few weeks ago, we got the shortlists for categories like International Feature and Documentary. Most of those "sure bets" actually made the final cut. Sentimental Value (Norway) and The Secret Agent (Brazil) are leading the pack for International Feature. It’s a strong year for world cinema, especially with the Academy's membership becoming more global.
The Snubs Nobody Expected
Every year, someone gets left out in the cold. This time, it feels like the "genre" bubble burst for a few favorites. While Sinners made it in, Lynne Ramsay’s Die, My Love was surprisingly absent from the major categories despite rave reviews for Jennifer Lawrence.
Also, can we talk about Mickey 17? Bong Joon-ho’s latest seemed like a slam dunk for at least a Screenplay or Production Design nod, but it was almost entirely shut out. It’s a bummer for sci-fi fans who were hoping for another Parasite-level sweep.
🔗 Read more: Alfonso Cuarón: Why the Harry Potter 3 Director Changed the Wizarding World Forever
How to Navigate the 2026 Season
If you're trying to win your Oscar pool this year, you've gotta look at the precursors. The Golden Globes and Critics Choice have already given us some clues, but the SAG and DGA awards are the ones that really matter.
- Watch the Screenplay categories: This is often where the Best Picture winner starts gaining momentum. If One Battle After Another loses the Adapted Screenplay nod to Hamnet, we might have a real race on our hands.
- Follow the "Passion" Picks: Movies like Bugonia have a very dedicated fanbase within the Academy. Sometimes that "Number 1" vote on the preferential ballot is more important than being everyone's second favorite.
- Pay attention to the shorts: Don't just skip the Animated Short or Live Action Short categories. They often feature the next generation of big-name directors.
The 98th Academy Awards will air on March 15, 2026. Conan O’Brien is returning to host, which should bring some much-needed levity to what is shaping up to be a very serious, very prestigious night.
To get ahead of the curve, start checking off the Best Picture nominees on your watchlist now. Most of these are already on streaming or in the middle of their theatrical expansions. Knowing the stories behind the names on the oscars full list of nominees makes the ceremony a lot more fun to watch. You've got two months—get to the theater.