Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, Leonardo DiCaprio, 2025. © Warner Bros. / Courtesy Everett Collection
Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
Oscars Commentary (Updated: Oct. 2, 2025): There’s a magic number every awards campaign treats as its “North Star,” whether they say out loud or not: 14.
With stellar reviews and Hollywood heavyweights praising his latest film, Paul Thomas Anderson may be on the verge of joining one of cinema’s most exclusive clubs. His newest epic, “One Battle After Another,” is currently projected to earn 14 Oscar nominations — a milestone reached by only three films in Academy Awards history: “All About Eve” (1950), “Titanic” (1997) and “La La Land” (2016).
The sweeping action-dramedy is currently listed in nearly every major category — from best picture and director to technical fields such as cinematography, editing and sound — as well as a potential nod in the newly introduced casting category. With Leonardo DiCaprio leading a star-studded ensemble, Anderson has assembled the kind of cast the Actors Branch has historically favored with multiple acting nominations.
While other best picture contenders like “Wicked: For Good,” “Hamnet” and “Sinners” are expected to perform strongly, “One Battle After Another” appears poised to dominate both above-the-line categories and technical fields. This combination typically signals a serious contender for the top prize. And who knows, OBAA could do even better. Adding the possibility of Benicio del Toro joining Sean Penn in the supporting actor race would give the film two contenders in that category alone, and that’s why the industry awaits official word on whether breakout newcomer Chase Infiniti will officially campaign — lead or supporting actress.
Warner Bros., the film’s distributor, is leading all studios in this year’s awards race, with a slate that also includes “Sinners” and possibly sprinkled recognition for “Weapons” and “Superman.”
Of course, nominations are only the beginning.
“All About Eve” and “La La Land” each converted their 14 nominations into six wins (with the latter famously losing best picture to “Moonlight”), while “Titanic” swept 11 categories, including best picture. Whether “One Battle After Another” will match James Cameron’s dominance or simply join the record books will depend on the next six months of awards campaigning.
Top 4 projected Oscar nomination leaders (films): “One Battle After Another” (14); “Wicked: For Good” (12); “Hamnet” and “Sinners” (11); “Sentimental Value” (6)
Top 4 projected Oscar nomination leaders (studios): Warner Bros. (28); Netflix (18); Neon (17); Focus Features (14)
*** = PREDICTED WINNER
(All predicted nominees listed below are in alphabetical order)
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Best Picture
Image Credit: Courtesy of CJ ENM, Venice Film Festival. “Hamnet” (Focus Features) ***
“A House of Dynamite” (Netflix)
“It Was Just an Accident” (Neon)
“Jay Kelly” (Netflix)
“Marty Supreme” (A24)
“No Other Choice” (Neon)
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
“Sentimental Value” (Neon)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)Oscar category page with rankings>>>
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Director
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Paul Thomas Anderson ***
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Jon M. Chu
“Wicked” (Universal Pictures)
Ryan Coogler
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Jafar Panahi
“It Was Just an Accident” (Neon)
Chloé Zhao
“Hamnet” (Focus Features)Oscar category page with rankings>>>
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Actor
Image Credit: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics Timothée Chalamet
“Marty Supreme” (A24)
Leonardo DiCaprio
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Ethan Hawke
“Blue Moon” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Dwayne Johnson
“The Smashing Machine” (A24)
Wagner Moura ***
“The Secret Agent” (Neon)Oscar category page with rankings>>>
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Actress
Image Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features Jessie Buckley ***
“Hamnet” (Focus Features)
Cynthia Erivo
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
Chase Infiniti
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Renate Reinsve
“Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Emma Stone
“Bugonia” (Focus Features)Oscar category page with rankings>>>
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Supporting Actor
Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix William H. Macy
“Train Dreams” (Netflix)
Paul Mescal
“Hamnet” (Focus Features)
Sean Penn
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Adam Sandler
“Jay Kelly” (Netflix)
Stellan Skarsgård ***
“Sentimental Value” (Neon)Oscar category page with rankings>>>
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Supporting Actress
Image Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection / A24 Emily Blunt
“The Smashing Machine” (A24)
Ariana Grande
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
Regina Hall
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Kate Hudson ***
“Song Sung Blue” (Focus Features)
Teyana Taylor
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)Oscar category page with rankings>>>
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Casting
Image Credit: ©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection “Hamnet” (Focus Features)
Nina Gold
“A House of Dynamite” (Netflix)
Susanne Scheel
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Cassandra Kulukundis
“Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Yngvill Kolset Haga and Avy Kaufman
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) ***
Francine MaislerOscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon
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Original Screenplay
Image Credit: Neon “Is This Thing On?” (Searchlight Pictures)
Will Arnett, Mark Chappell, Bradley Cooper
“A House of Dynamite” (Netflix)
Noah Oppenheim
“Marty Supreme” (A24)
Josh Safdie
“Sentimental Value” (Neon)
Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) ***
Ryan CooglerOscar category page with rankings>>>
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Adapted Screenplay
Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix “Hamnet” (Focus Features) ***
Maggie O’Farrell and Chloé Zhao
“No Other Choice” (Neon)
Park Chan-wook, Lee Ja-hye, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Paul Thomas Anderson
“Song Sung Blue” (Focus Features)
Craig Brewer
“Train Dreams” (Netflix)
Clint Bentley and Greg KwedarOscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon
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Animated Feature
Image Credit: Courtesy of Netflix “Arco” (Neon)
“In Your Dreams” (Netflix)
“KPop Demon Hunters” (Netflix) ***
“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” (GKids)
“Zootopia 2” (Walt Disney Pictures)Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon
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Production Design
Image Credit: Netflix “Avatar: Fire and Ash” (20th Century Studios)
Dylan Cole, Vanessa Cole, Ben Procter
“Frankenstein” (Netflix)
Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau
“Hamnet” (Focus Features)
Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Hannah Bleachler, Monique Champagne
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures) ***
Nathan Crowley, Lee SandalesOscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon
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Cinematography
Image Credit: Universal “Hamnet” (Focus Features)
Łukasz Żal
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Michael Bauman
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) ***
Autumn Durald Arkapaw
“Train Dreams” (Netflix)
Adolpho Veloso
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
Alice BrooksOscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon
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Costume Design
Image Credit: © Credit Ana Carballosa. Courtesy of AE Ops, LLC and Mohari Media US, LLC. “Frankenstein” (Netflix)
Kate Hawley
“Hedda” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Lindsay Pugh
“Kiss of the Spider Woman” (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions)
Colleen Atwood
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Ruth E. Carter
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures) ***
Paul TazewellOscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon
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Film Editing
Image Credit: ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection “Hamnet” (Focus Features)
Affonso Gonçalves, Chloé Zhao
“A House of Dynamite” (Netflix)
Kirk Baxter
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.) ***
Andy Jurgensen
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
Michael P. Shawver
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
Myron KersteinOscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon
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Makeup and Hairstyling
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett C “Frankenstein” (Netflix)
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“The Smashing Machine” (A24) ***
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon
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Sound
Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett C “F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.)
“A House of Dynamite” (Netflix) ***
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” (20th Century Studios)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon
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Visual Effects
Image Credit: Disney “Avatar: Fire and Ash” (20th Century Studios) ***
“F1” (Apple Original Films/Warner Bros.)
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” (Paramount Pictures)
“Superman” (Warner Bros.)
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon
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Original Score
“Hamnet” (Focus Features)
Max Richter
“Hedda” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Hildur Guðnadóttir
“A House of Dynamite” (Netflix)
Volker Bertlemann
“One Battle After Another” (Warner Bros.)
Jonny Greenwood
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.) ***
Ludwig GöranssonOscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon
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Original Song
Image Credit: Disney Animation “KPop Demon Hunters” (Netflix) ***
“Golden” by EJAE and Mark Sonnenblick
“Sinners” (Warner Bros.)
“I Lied to You” by Ludwig Göransson and Raphael Saadiq
“Train Dreams” (Netflix)
“Train Dreams” by Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner
“Wicked: For Good” (Universal Pictures)
“The Girl in the Bubble” by Stephen Schwartz
“Zootopia 2” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Zoo” by Shakira, Ed Sheeran and Blake SlatkinOscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon
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Documentary Feature
Image Credit: Sundance Film Festival “The Alabama Solution” (HBO Documentary Films)
“The Eyes of Ghana” (U.S. Acquisition TBD)
“The Perfect Neighbor” (Netflix) ***
“The Tale of Silyan” (National Geographic)
“2000 Meters to Andriivka” (PBS)Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon
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International Feature
Image Credit: Victor Juca “It Was Just an Accident” from France (Neon)
dir. Jafar Panahi
“No Other Choice” from South Korea (Neon)
dir. Park-Chan wook
“The Secret Agent” from Brazil (Neon)
dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
“Sentimental Value” from Norway (Neon) ***
dir. Joachim Trier
“The Voice of Hind Rajab” from Tunisia (U.S. Distributor TBD)
dir. Kaouther Ben HaniaOscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon