Historic Oscar Nominations Unveiled: 'Sinners' Sets New Record with 16 Nods
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has officially announced the nominees for the 2026 Oscars, marking a significant shift in the awards landscape with groundbreaking achievements and surprising omissions. This year's list not only celebrates cinematic excellence but also introduces a historic new category that recognizes previously overlooked contributions to filmmaking.
Record-Breaking Achievements Dominate the Nominations
The undisputed star of this year's Oscar nominations is Ryan Coogler's Sinners, a blues-inflected vampire epic that has rewritten Academy Awards history. With an unprecedented 16 nominations, Sinners has officially surpassed the long-standing record of 14 nominations previously held by cinematic classics including All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997), and La La Land (2016). The film's dominance spans across major categories including Best Picture, Best Director, multiple acting categories, screenplay, and numerous technical awards, establishing it as the clear front-runner for the upcoming ceremony.
Following closely behind is Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another with an impressive 13 nominations. While trailing in total numbers, this film showcases remarkable acting prowess with four separate acting nominations for Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro—a rare achievement in contemporary cinema that highlights the film's ensemble strength.
Another significant development is the continued rise of international cinema within the Academy's recognition. Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value emerged as a powerful contender with eight nominations, including prestigious nods for Best Picture and Best Director. This performance underscores the growing influence of the Academy's international voting bloc, particularly in major categories that traditionally favored Hollywood productions.
Notable Snubs and Surprising Omissions
As with every Oscar season, the 2026 nominations brought their share of shocking omissions that have sparked widespread discussion within the film community. The most significant surprise came with the near-total rejection of Wicked: For Good, the highly anticipated sequel to a commercially successful and culturally impactful film. Despite expectations, the film failed to secure a Best Picture nomination, and even more surprisingly, lead performers Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were completely shut out of the acting categories.
Another notable omission occurred in the Best Director category, where Guillermo del Toro found himself excluded despite his film Frankenstein performing well in acting and technical categories, including a standout supporting actor nomination for Jacob Elordi. Instead, the Academy favored Joachim Trier's more intimate family drama Sentimental Value, suggesting a potential preference for restrained storytelling over large-scale gothic spectacle in this year's selections.
Within the otherwise dominant One Battle After Another, a subtle but telling snub emerged as Chase Infiniti remained the only major cast member overlooked in the acting categories, creating a surprising gap in a film otherwise embraced across multiple nominations.
Historic Introduction of Best Casting Category
In a landmark decision for the 98-year history of the Academy Awards, 2026 marks the official introduction of the Best Casting category as a permanent competitive award. This long-awaited addition finally recognizes the crucial, often invisible work of casting directors in shaping performances and creating ensemble chemistry that defines successful films.
The inaugural nominees for Best Casting are:
- Hamnet: Nina Gold
- Marty Supreme: Jennifer Venditti
- One Battle After Another: Cassandra Kulukundis
- The Secret Agent
- Sinners: Francine Maisler
This new category has played a strategic role in this year's nominations, helping both Sinners and One Battle After Another extend their already historic nomination totals while bringing well-deserved attention to the casting professionals who shape cinematic excellence.
Complete List of 2026 Oscar Nominees
The 2026 Oscar nominations showcase a diverse range of cinematic achievements across all categories:
Best Picture: "Bugonia," "F1," "Frankenstein," "Hamnet," "Marty Supreme," "One Battle After Another," "The Secret Agent," "Sentimental Value," "Sinners," "Train Dreams"
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")
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")
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")
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")
Directing: Paul Thomas Anderson ("One Battle After Another"), Ryan Coogler ("Sinners"), Josh Safdie ("Marty Supreme"), Joachim Trier ("Sentimental Value"), Chloé Zhao ("Hamnet")
Original Screenplay: "Blue Moon" (Robert Kaplow), "It Was Just an Accident" (Jafar Panahi), "Marty Supreme" (Josh Safdie, Ronald Bronstein), "Sentimental Value" (Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt), "Sinners" (Ryan Coogler)
Adapted Screenplay: "Bugonia" (Will Tracy), "Frankenstein" (Guillermo del Toro), "Hamnet" (Chloé Zhao and Maggie O'Farrell), "One Battle After Another" (Paul Thomas Anderson), "Train Dreams" (Clint Bentley, Craig Kwedar)
The complete nominations list spans all major and technical categories, reflecting a year of exceptional cinematic achievement that blends record-breaking performances with historic institutional changes at the Academy Awards.
