The nominations are here for the 98th Academy Awards, and this year, it offered multiple surprises and snubs, the most obvious being the complete shut-out for Wicked: For Good. The first nomination itself- that of Elle Fanning in the Best Supporting Actress category- offered a surprise for many who thought she would be snubbed. This paved the way for a slew of unpredictable names to appear on the list. Here are the biggest takeaways from the nominations. (Also read: Oscars 2026 full list of nominations: Sinners creates history, becomes most nominated film of all time with 16 nods)
Wicked snubbed for Good
Last year, Wicked earned 10 Oscar nominations and won two awards. Both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande earned nods in the acting categories. Wicked: For Good was also one of the highest-grossing films of the year, but the Academy has now completely shut out the Jon M Chu film, with even Ariana (who was once a frontrunner in the category) missing the spot.
More love for international films and performances
The Academy has shown more affinity for international films in the last few years, and this time, too, it was no different. Brazil’s The Secret Agent and Norway’s Sentimental Value scored Best Picture noms. The Secret Agent also dashed into the brand new category for casting, a richly deserved one for the ensemble of character actors in the political thriller. Elsewhere, Spain’s Sirāt scored a nod for Best Sound.
But the major revelation was the inclusion of international performances in all four acting categories. The Secret Agent’s Wagner Moura and Sentimental Value’s Renate Reinsve scored in the leading categories for Best Actor and Best Actress categories respectively. Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Stellan Skarsgård were recognised in the supporting categories.
Stellan Skarsgård’s nomination is particularly significant, as it marks the first time he has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for an international film. In the 97 years of the Academy Awards, that particular category has been sealed, despite other actors being recognised in the other three acting categories.
Sinners makes history with the most nominations
Sinners was expected to do well on the day of the Oscar nominations, but the Ryan Coogler film has shattered expectations and set a new record. With a staggering 16 nominations, Sinners has set a record-breaking total, surpassing the previous joint record holders La La Land, Titanic, and All About Eve. All of these films had each got 14. Some of the surprise nominations for Sinners included Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku in the supporting actor categories.
Snubs for hot favourites
Paul Mescal was considered a lock in the Best Supporting Actor category for Hamnet, given how well the film was placed in the Best Picture race. Although Chloe Zhao’s adaptation did perform extremely well as expected, earning Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress nods- it was Paul who was snubbed.
The other hot favourite to land a nomination was Chase Infiniti for One Battle After Another. The Paul Thomas Anderson film was the second-most nominated film, earning nods in all three of the remaining acting categories. Chase, who made her acting debut with the film, was the only one to miss out on the recognition.
Australian actor Joel Edgerton gave one of his best performances in Train Dreams, but missed out on the Best Actor race. The film, however, was well received by the Academy, earning Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Original Song and Best Adapted Screenplay nominations.
