Ryan Coogler’s blues-steeped vampire epic “Sinners” led all films with 16 nominations to the 98th Academy Awards on Thursday, setting a record for the most in Oscar history.
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences voters showered “Sinnners” with more nominations than they had ever bestowed before, breaking the 14-nomination mark set by “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land.” Along with best picture, Coogler was nominated for best director and best screenplay, and double-duty star Michael B. Jordan was rewarded with his first Oscar nomination, for best actor.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s father-daughter revolutionary saga “One Battle After Another,” the favorite coming into nominations, trailed in second with 13 nominations of its own. Four of its actors - Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn - were nominated, though newcomer Chase Infiniti was left out in best actress.
In those two top nominees, the film academy put its full force behind a pair of visceral and bracingly original American epics that each connected with a fraught national moment. Coogler’s Jim Crow-era film - the rare horror movie to win the academy’s favor - conjures a mythical allegory of Black life. In “One Battle After Another,” a dormant spirit of rebellion is revived in an out-of-control police state.
Both are also Warner Bros. titles. In the midst of a contentious sale to Netflix, the 102-year-old studio had its best Oscar nominations morning ever. As the fate of Warner Bros., which Netflix is buying for $72 billion, hangs in the balance amid a challenge from Paramount Skydance, Hollywood is bracing for potentially the largest realignment in the film industry’s history.
The 10 films nominated for best picture are “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “One Battle After Another,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value,” “Sinners” and “Train Dreams.”
PHOTOS: 'Sinners' makes history, setting Oscars nomination record
The first category read by presenters Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman was supporting actress. The nominees are Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter LilIeaas for “Sentimental Value,” Amy Madigan for “Weapons,” Wunmi Mosaku for “Sinners” and Teyana Taylor for “One Battle After Another.”
For supporting actor, the nominees are Jacob Elordi for “Frankenstein,” Sean Penn for “One Battle After Another,” Stellan Skarsgård for “Sentimental Value,” Benicio del Toro for “One Battle After Another” and Delroy Lindo for “Sinners.”
This year, the Oscars are introducing a new category for casting. That new honor helped “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” pad their already impressive stats. Along with those two films, the nominees are “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme” and “The Secret Agent.”
“Sinners” can also be found among the nominees for original song: “Golden” from “Kpop Demon Hunters,” “Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams,” “Dear Me” from “Diane Warren: Relentess,” “I Lied To You” from “Sinners” and “Sweet Dreams Of Joy” from “Viva Verdi!”
The 98th Academy Awards will take place on March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will be televised live on ABC and Hulu. YouTube’s new deal to exclusively air won’t take effect until 2029. This year, Conan O’Brien will return as host.
Here is a partial list of nominees for the 98th annual Academy Awards, which will be presented March 15 in Los Angeles:
Best picture
“Bugonia”; “F1”; “Frankenstein”; “Hamnet”; “Marty Supreme”; “One Battle After Another”; “The Secret Agent”; “Sentimental Value”; “Sinners”; “Train Dreams.”
Best Actress
Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet”; Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”; Renate Reinsve, “Sentimental Value”; Emma Stone, “Bugonia”; Kate Hudson, “Song Sung Blue.”
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme”; Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”; Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”; Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners”; Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent.”
Best Supporting Actress
Elle Fanning, “Sentimental Value”; Inga Ibsdotter LilIeaas, “Sentimental Value”; Amy Madigan, “Weapons”; Wunmi Mosaku, “Sinners”; Teyana Taylor, “One Battle After Another.”
Best Supporting Actor
Jacob Elordi, “Frankenstein”; Sean Penn, “One Battle After Another”; Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value”; Benicio del Toro, “One Battle After Another” Delroy Lindo, “Sinners.”
Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another”; Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”; Chloé Zhao, “Hamnet”; Josh Safdie, “Marty Supreme”; Joachim Trier, “Sentimental Value.”
Original Song
“Golden” from “Kpop Demon Hunters”; “Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams”; “Dear Me” from “Diane Warren: Relentless”; “I Lied To You” from “Sinners”; “Sweet Dreams Of Joy” from “Viva Verdi!”
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