"Sinners" Leads 2026 Oscar Nominations

Yara Sameh

“Sinners,” a vampire saga set in the American South, earned a record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations.

It was followed closely by “One Battle After Another,” a searing examination of radical politics, which picked up 13 nods.

Both films were nominated for best picture at the 2026 Academy Awards, along with “Frankenstein,” “Bugonia,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “Sentimental Value,” “Train Dreams,” “F1,” and “The Secret Agent.”

“Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” were produced by Warner Bros., which led the competition with 30 nods.

It caps a remarkable turnaround at the studio, which started the year with flops such as “Mickey 17” and “The Alto Knights” and rumors that Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, the executives who greenlit “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another,” would be ousted for spending too much money on films that were seen as risky bets.

Instead, “Sinners’ became a box office phenomenon, and though “One Battle After Another” failed to recoup its massive $135 million budget, its awards dominance makes it a valuable addition to Warner’s library.

Netflix, which had been the top Oscar player in recent years, scored with “Frankenstein,” an operatic retelling of the Mary Shelley chiller from Guillermo del Toro, and “Train Dreams,” a lyrical drama about a railroad worker, which earned nine and four nominations, respectively.

The streaming giant has upended the Hollywood order with its $82.7 billion deal to buy Warner Bros. — a pact that has left many industry figures concerned that the sale will result in the production of fewer movies, particularly theatrical releases.

Netflix picked up 18 nominations, while Neon, the indie producer behind several foreign language films like “Sentimental Value” and “The Secret Agent,” also racked up 18 nominations despite its much smaller size.

Chloé Zhao, a previous best director winner for her work on “Nomadland,” was nominated for “Hamnet.”

The other nominees include Ryan Coogler (“Sinners”), Paul Thomas Anderson (“One Battle After Another), Joachim Trier (“Sentimental Value”), and Josh Safdie (“Marty Supreme”).

Best actor will be a contest between Timothée Chalamet, whose promotional antics helped turn “Marty Supreme” into A24’s biggest ticket seller, and “One Battle After Another’s” Leonardo DiCaprio, one of Hollywood’s few consistent box office draws.

Other nominees include Michael B. Jordan (“Sinners”), Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”) and Wagner Moura, who recently won a Golden Globe for “The Secret Agent.”

“Hamnet’s” Jessie Buckley and “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’s” Rose Byrne, who have dominated the early awards conversation for their portraits of mothers struggling with unimaginable challenges, earned best actress nominations.

They will face off against two-time winner Emma Stone (“Bugonia”), as well as Kate Hudson (“Song Sung Blue”) and Renate Reinsve (“Sentimental Value”).

Best supporting actor contenders include two performers from “One Battle After Another,” Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn. Both men are prior acting award winners, with del Toro earning a prize for “Traffic” and Penn picking up statues for “Milk” and “Mystic River.”

They will compete against Delroy Lindo (“Sinners”), Stellan Skarsgard (“Sentimental Value”) and Jacob Elordi (“Frankenstein”).

Best supporting actress includes two nominees from “Sentimental Value,” Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas. Their fellow nominees include Amy Madigan (“Weapons”), Wunmi Mosaku (“Sinners”) and Teyana Taylor (“One Battle After Another”).

With its 16 nods, “Sinners” has toppled the previous record of 14 nominations, which was held by “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land.” All but “La La Land” went on to capture best picture.

There were some notable snubs and surprises. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who earned nominations for “Wicked,” were passed over for reprising their roles in “Wicked: For Good,” while Paul Mescal, who earned raves for his performance as William Shakespeare in “Hamnet,” was also overlooked.

At the same time, “F1,” an action film set in the world of car racing, scored an upset best picture nomination.

This year is the first that casting directors will be recognized for their work. The inaugural class of nominees include Nina Gold (“Hamnet”), Jennifer Venditti (“Marty Supreme”), Cassandra Kulukundis (“One Battle After Another”), Francine Maisler (“Sinners”) and Gabriel Domingues (“The Secret Agent”).

The Oscars will air on ABC and will stream on Hulu on March 15. Conan O’Brien will return for his second stint as host.

This year’s awards will take place as the business is struggling with the impact of corporate consolidation, one that’s seen legendary studios like MGM, 20th Century Fox and now Warner Bros. sold off to bigger players.

It also unfolds as the box office has failed to recapture its pre-pandemic stride. Then there’s the looming threat of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, which are expected to lead to job losses in a sector that’s already suffering from cutbacks.

Before nominations were announced on Thursday, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Lynette Howell Taylor alluded to these sweeping changes.

“Our profound belief is that the heartbeat of film is and will always remain unmistakably human,” she said.

See the nominations below.

Best picture