The 2026 Oscars race is officially underway, but the historic run of Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” isn’t the only surprise amongst the nominees, which included some snubs of seeming shoo-ins.
From “F1” edging out other favored Best Picture contenders to “No Other Choice” being completely shut out, and Kate Hudson taking the Best Actress slot many believed would go to Amanda Seyfried, Thursday’s nominations kept film fans on their toes.
Surprise: ‘Sinners’ gives ‘Titanic’ and ‘La La Land’ a run for their money
Coogler’s Best Picture-tapped vampire horror-musical set in the Mississippi Delta earned a record-breaking 16 nominations, including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, who stars in dual roles. Prior to Thursday, “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land” were in a three-way tie for the most-ever nominations, with 14 apiece.
Surprise: ‘F1’ rounding the track for Best Picture
Director Joseph Kosinski’s “Top Gun: Maverick” may have earned a Best Picture nod after raking in nearly $1.5 billion worldwide and helping to resuscitate theaters post-COVID in 2022, but “F1: The Movie” — largely considered a two-and-a-half hour ad for the titular sport — struggled to make a similar splash in the zeitgeist.
Given that, it came as a shock when the Brad Pitt-Damson Idris vehicle followed up three below-the-line nods with one for Best Picture, effectively taking the place thought to be reserved for Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just An Accident.”
Snub: No love for ‘No Other Choice’
Much like 2022’s “Decision to Leave,” Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice” — adapted from Donald E. Westlake’s novel “The Ax” — was shortlisted for Best International Feature Film and boasts a 97% critics’ approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Chan-wook’s decades-old acclaim includes the Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Prize of the Jury for “Oldboy” in 2004, as well as three nominations for the festival’s coveted Palme d’Or (“Thirst,” “The Handmaiden” and “Decision to Leave”). Academy acknowledgement, however, continues to elude the South Korean auteur.
Snub and surprise: Chase Infiniti and Amanda Seyfreid lose their slots to Kate Hudson
Chase Infiniti has earned nearly two dozen awards and even more nominations for her big screen debut in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another.”. But even with a winning consideration campaign, her presumed slot in the Best Actress category went to Kate Hudson, whom she competed against earlier this month at the Golden Globes.
Seyfried’s role in “The Testament of Ann Lee,” a bold musical about the founder of the Shaker Movement, has long been favored to nab one of the nominations unreserved for more surefire contenders like Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”) and Rose Byrne (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”).
However, Hudson’s performance in “Song Sung Blue,” in which she stars alongside Hugh Jackman as a couple who thrive as a Neil Diamond tribute act, was considered more of a long-shot. Her unexpected nomination comes 25 years after she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous.”
Snub: Paul Mescal
While his brooding roles regularly earn him points with critics and fans alike, Paul Mescal’s portrayal of William Shakespeare in “Hamnet” — which suggests that “Hamlet” helped the Bard work through his grief over the death of his young son — didn’t net the Irish actor a second Oscar nomination.
Mescal, who was previously recognized for his work in 2022’s “Aftersun,” did score a Golden Globe nod for “Hamnet,” but it’s Buckley’s performance as Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, that’s stolen the show. Buckley is currently the favorite to win Best Actress, though Byrne is also gaining steam.
Snub: Goodbye to “Wicked: For Good”
Whereas Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” earned 10 Oscar nominations last year — including Best Picture, Best Actress (Cynthia Erivo) and Best Supporting Actress (Ariana Grande) — the bloated follow-up proved far less popular with the Academy.
There wasn’t even a bit of magic reserved for either of its stars, despite both Erivo and Grande scoring Globes nominations for their reprisals, and the latter also being tapped for a Critics Choice Award.
Tune in to see who takes home the gold when the 96th Academy Awards air March 15 at 7 p.m. ET on ABC, and streaming live on Hulu.
