The 98th Academy Awards arrive with a rare sense of volatility. One Battle After Another has dominated the season, but Sinners — the record‑breaking 16‑nominee vampire thriller — upended expectations with a key precursor win, turning best picture into a genuine showdown. Acting races are equally unsettled, with only Jessie Buckley looking like a sure thing. Add Conan O’Brien’s return, a new casting award, and two major musical performances, and Hollywood’s biggest night is primed for surprises.
What to Know:
One Battle After Another enters as the presumed favorite, but Sinners’ upset at the Actor Awards keeps the race alive.
Timothée Chalamet and Michael B. Jordan are locked in a tight best actor contest; supporting actress remains a three‑way toss‑up.
Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) has swept nearly every award for Best Actress this awards season, making her a strong contender for the award tonight.
The best casting category debuts, with nominees including Hamnet, Marty Supreme, and Sinners.
Only two original song nominees will perform live — “Golden” (KPop Demon Hunters) and “I Lied to You” (Sinners).
A‑list lineup includes Adrien Brody, Mikey Madison, Zoe Saldaña, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Pedro Pascal, Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Evans, and more.
Sinners leads with 16 nods; One Battle After Another follows with 13; Frankenstein, Train Dreams and Sentimental Value each have nine.
Gold Derby still favors One Battle After Another for best picture; Jordan has momentum in best actor; Buckley remains the strongest acting lock.
Supporting categories could deliver the night’s biggest shocks, with Stellan Skarsgård, Sean Penn, Amy Madigan, Teyana Taylor and Wunmi Mosaku all in contention.
The official preshow at 6:30 p.m. ET on ABC and Hulu; E!’s carpet show begins at 4 p.m. ET.
Conan O’Brien is returning to host the Oscars, which begin 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT at the Dolby Theatre. Airs on ABC; streaming via the ABC app, abc.com (with cable login), Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV and FuboTV. Also streaming live on Hulu for cord-cutters.
Stay with Newsweek as we bring you live updates, red carpet moments and every surprise from inside the Dolby Theatre.
Here are the nominees for this year’s Academy Awards
Actor in a Leading Role
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle after Another
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Actor in a Supporting Role
Benicio Del Toro, One Battle after Another
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo, Sinners
Sean Penn, One Battle after Another
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
Actress in a Leading Role
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Emma Stone, Bugonia
Actress in a Supporting Role
Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
Teyana Taylor, One Battle after Another
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