British actor Delroy Lindo says he was dozing when he discovered he secured his inaugural Oscar nomination. Awards experts were caught off guard by the initial two words uttered at the Oscar nominations on Thursday. “Elle Fanning, for Sentimental Value,” stated hosts Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman, as they commenced the nominations with the best supporting actress category.
Fanning’s inclusion got things off to a lively start—she had earned acclaim for her performance in the Norwegian family drama, but few had anticipated a nomination. The opening category established the vibe for a series of snubs and shocks, which began arriving thick and fast. Here are eight of the major takeaways.
1. Some hot favourites missed out
Although Hamnet and One Battle After Another performed well, both had a slightly weaker showing than anticipated in the acting categories. Paul Mescal missed out on a supporting actor nod for Hamnet—a startling omission, although we’re certain it won’t have much impact on his co-star Jessie Buckley’s frontrunner status for best actress.
Meanwhile, four prominent actors from One Battle After Another were acknowledged, but its breakout star Chase Infiniti missed best actress despite being a fierce contender. It was an admittedly crowded category. But at 25 years old and with glowing reviews for her performance in the film, we’re fairly sure we haven’t heard the last of her.
Other actors who had momentum but ended up missing included Jesse Plemons for Bugonia and Joel Edgerton for Train Dreams. But both of those movies made it into best picture—so the Academy clearly appreciated them overall.
2. F1 is a comfort-food movie
F1, which stars Brad Pitt as a racing driver brought out of retirement, was the largest shock in the best picture category. It wasn’t exactly an underdog—many awards experts expected it to pick up several technical nominations for its impressive craftsmanship (we suggest watching the film in a theater or with surround sound if possible).
But the fact that it had enough energy to propel it into best picture was a genuine show of strength—especially without other significant nominations in best director or the acting categories. It shows the old guard of the Academy still values traditional, well-crafted films that can simply be enjoyed with a tub of popcorn.
3. Sinners were the big winners
Sinners scored a record-breaking 16 nominations, soaring way past the previous joint record holders La La Land, Titanic and All About Eve, which obtained 14 each. Ryan Coogler’s vampire horror has done particularly well to keep its momentum with voters, considering it was debuted last spring.
But it’s exactly the kind of film the Academy would want to acknowledge. Although vampire movies might not be traditional Oscars bait, Sinners was a true artistic achievement, mixing genre horror with 1930s blues music against the backdrop of the Mississippi Delta. Coogler also made waves in the Hollywood trade publications last year for the deal he secured with Warner Brothers, which will see the film’s ownership rights return to him after 25 years.
4. Wicked did not bewitch the Academy
The first Wicked film received 10 Oscar nominations and went on to win two. So it’s a remarkable fall from grace for its sequel to have received zero. This was largely anticipated, however. Wicked: For Good was far less well received than its predecessor—something it shares with the original musical.
The second act of the stage show is widely considered inferior to the first, partly because all the big hits occur before the interval. But it was still thought that Wicked: For Good could get into a couple of categories, with many predicting a best original song nomination for The Girl in the Bubble, a track performed by Ariana Grande that was newly added for the film adaptation.
There was better news for another blockbuster, Avatar: Fire and Ash, which at least managed a couple of technical nominations for visual effects and costume design. Some of the most mainstream films can instead be found in the animated category. That’s where we find the $1.7bn-grossing Zootopia 2 (known as Zootropolis 2 in the UK) and viral streaming hit KPop Demon Hunters.
5. The Brits showed up
Sinners didn’t just score the highest number of nominations, it also provided the only two Brits to be nominated in the acting categories. Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo made it into best supporting actress and actor respectively.
While Mosaku’s nomination was broadly expected, Lindo’s was more of a surprise, and his inclusion is perhaps the most telling sign of how much love there clearly is for Sinners across the Academy. Lindo narrowly missed a best actor nomination a few years ago for Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods. The 73-year-old’s first ever Oscar nomination feels long overdue.
6. Several actresses carried their films to a nomination
Three of the actresses nominated on Thursday ended up being the sole recognition their film received. Rose Byrne was the only representation for motherhood drama If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, while Kate Hudson made it in on her own for the touching musical love story Song Sung Blue.
Meanwhile, Weapons star Amy Madigan was nominated for her role as an eccentric aunt who appears in a US town just before the local school children go missing. Madigan’s nomination is perhaps the most impressive, given that jump-scare horror movies aren’t traditional Oscars fare. But the 75-year-old was a passion pick for many experts and voters, and her fans have been campaigning hard for her to be acknowledged for her memorable (and slightly terrifying) performance.
7. New category is a mixed bag
The newly introduced casting category overlapped with many of the general frontrunners, with nominations for Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Hamnet, Sinners and The Secret Agent. We can’t help but feel slightly puzzled, however, that one other film in particular missed out.
Sentimental Value failed to score a casting nomination despite all four of its lead stars scoring individual nods—Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas. If that quartet was impressive enough to be nominated individually, you might’ve thought there was a good chance of recognition for the casting directors who put them together—Avy Kaufman and Yngvill Kolset Haga.
8. Timothée is even closer to greatness
At the SAG Awards last year, Timothée Chalamet spoke about his desire to eventually be considered “one of the Hollywood greats”. He’s a big step closer to that with the likelihood that he will win his first Oscar this year, as the clear frontrunner in best actor for table-tennis drama Marty Supreme.
Although he’s only been nominated twice before, Chalamet is popular with the Academy, having starred in a staggering eight best picture-nominated films. He is also the youngest actor since Marlon Brando to receive three nominations for best leading actor. Brando was 30, the same age as Chalamet, when he got his third in 1954. Timothée came close to a win last year for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, but we’re confident that 2026 will be his time to reign supreme.
