Because this Oscar season has been competitive from the get-go, we were expecting some surprises when nominations were announced—and boy, did we get them. The Oscar nominations 2026 included a slew of pleasantly unpredictable names in the acting categories (Delroy Lindo! Elle Fanning!) as well as several shake-ups in other tight races, like best director and even best picture.
Sure, One Battle After Another and Sinners were expected to lead the pack when the final list was announced Thursday, just as they have all season. But Sinners made history by getting the most nominations for a movie in a single year, outstripping its top competitor (which only—“only”—got 12 total nods).
There were some painful snubs as well. Though the first Wicked film got lavished with Oscars attention last year, earning 10 nominations including best picture (and winning two, for its production and costume design), Wicked: For Good was completely shut out at this year’s ceremony. Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident also seemed like a strong Oscar contender, but lost steam in the end; it was nominated in best international feature and best original screenplay, but missed out on both the main best picture category and best director.
Below, we break down the biggest snubs and surprises of the 2026 Oscar nominations—from F1 zooming into contention to Academy favorite Guillermo del Toro dropping off the best director list.
SURPRISE: Sinners Breaks the Oscar Record
Shortly before the nominations were announced, Hollywood began whispering about the possibility of Sinners breaking the record for most Oscar nominations for a single film. It would be a tall feat: Three films—All About Eve, Titanic, and La La Land—held that record, with 14 nominations apiece. But sure enough, Sinners out-Oscared them, landing 16 total nominations. The film picked up more acting nods than expected when Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo landed supporting nominations, along with Michael B. Jordan in lead actor. Beyond those and best picture, Sinners also earned nods for directing, original screenplay, casting, cinematography, costume design, production design, sound, makeup and hairstyling, song, score, and editing. As for what this means on Oscar night, let’s take a look at history: All About Eve and La La Land each ultimately won six awards. All About Eve got best picture; as many will remember, thanks to #Envelopegate, La La Land did not.Titanic won 11 Oscars, including best picture as well. —Rebecca Ford
SNUB: Wicked For Bad
Yikes! Wicked: For Good didn’t receive a single Oscar nomination. Not for original song; not for production design or costume design, both of which it won last year. Overall, the Academy made it clear they were not fans of splitting this beloved musical into two movies. Wicked: For Good is one of the highest-grossing films of the year, so there was a feeling that the Academy would find ways to support it even if it wasn’t going to get a best picture nomination this time around. But Universal will have to take the film’s box office achievement as the ultimate win for this franchise, as the Academy was fine with mourning the Wicked this morning. —John Ross
SURPRISE: F1 Races to a Best Picture Nomination
It isn’t a huge surprise that F1 landed nominations for its crafts, getting recognized in best sound and best visual effects. Even its editing nom wasn’t a huge surprise; the film’s racing scenes are very well done. But the Brad Pitt-starring sports drama was not expected to play much outside of those sandboxes—so its nomination for best picture was one of the biggest surprises of the day. That 10th slot for best picture was very much in flux; F1 had just enough juice to make it in over other hopefuls like It was Just an Accident, Sirat, and Wicked: For Good. —R.F.
SNUB: Oscars Say Thank You, Next to Ariana Grande
Grande was arguably the co-lead in the second half of Wicked, and many critics considered her the highlight of the film. As her co-star Cynthia Erivo’s Oscars chances faded, Grande was still considered likely to get a nomination from the Academy. She did receive nominations from the Actors Awards and the Golden Globes, after all. But today, the pop star was edged out by the swell of Sinners and Sentimental Value—both films that overperformed this morning across the board. —J.R.
SURPRISE: Blue Moon Picks Up an Original Screenplay Nomination
This chamber piece about a lonely genius has turned out to be the tiny movie that could. With a knock-out performance by Ethan Hawke as famed lyricist Lorenz Hart (Hawke also earned an acting nomination), Blue Moon charmed audiences with its quick-witted dialogue and impressive, fluid directing by Richard Linklater. The screenwriter, Robert Kaplow, constructed his script based on letters between Hart and a Yale student named Elizabeth—and earned his first Oscar nomination today for his effort. —R.F.
SNUB: Jafar Panahi and Guillermo Del Toro Miss Out In Best Director
The best director race is always one of the hardest Oscar categories to predict. Panahi didn’t get a DGA nomination for It Was Just An Accident, but conventional wisdom was that he would still get in at the Oscars because of the film’s overall popularity with international voters, as well as his personal story. And Panahi did get a nomination for Original Screenplay—but the directors’ branch instead nominated another non-American filmmaker, Joachim Trier, for Sentimental Value. Past Oscar winner Del Toro, meanwhile, is beloved by his peers, and received a DGA nomination for Frankenstein. But ultimately, he didn’t have enough support to secure one of the five spots this morning. His film still received many below-the-line nominations, from cinematography to costume design—so come Oscar night, Del Toro will probably still get some shout-outs from the big stage. —J.R.
SURPRISE: Delroy Lindo Is In for Sinners
A rising tide lifts all boats, and while many Oscar watchers felt Lindo was deserving of today’s nomination, they didn’t think he would be able to break through in such a competitive field. Yet Sinners performed so well this morning that it helped carry Lindo into a nomination for his role in the film as Delta Slim. Though Lindo has an impressive body of work, this marks his very first Oscar nomination. Lindo’s surprise nod meant that Paul Mescal, who was believed to be a sure thing in this category for his role in Hamnet, was pushed out. It’s also worth noting that Jacob Elordi secured his nomination for Frankenstein after months of dogged campaigning. —J.R.
SNUB: Adam Sandler Still Doesn’t Have an Oscar Nomination
At the start of this season, it felt like this was Sandler’s year to finally get a nomination for an Academy Award. His role in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly was measured, less bombastic than Uncut Gems, and the response was positive at every stop on the campaign trail. (Including when Sandler sat for a conversation with Timothee Chalamet, moderated by Vanity Fair.) But as the season progressed, Jay Kelly started to get a softer response among voters—and Jacob Elordi began to get more attention for his role in Frankenstein. This morning, Sandler fell victim to the surprise of Delroy Lindo’s nomination and Elordi’s ascent. —J.R.
SURPRISE: Kate Hudson Gets Her Second Oscar Nod, 25 Years Later
Hudson campaigned hard this season, and it paid off. Her role as Claire “Thunder” Sardinia in Song Sung Blue plays to all her strengths: she sings, she blends comedy and drama, and her chemistry with Hugh Jackman is superb. After her Actors Award nomination, industry insiders started to take her campaign more seriously. Still, there was a feeling that the film itself wasn’t strong enough to land her in one of the five spots. Today, though, she proved the naysayers wrong. But as a result, Chase Infiniti unfortunately didn’t make the best actress cut for her film debut in One Battle After Another. —J.R.
SURPRISE: Sentimental Value Overperforms
Sentimental Value seemed to stumble earlier this season, when it was completely snubbed for Actor Awards nominations. But the film came back with gusto on Oscar nomination day, earning nine nods. While it was expected to land noms for picture, screenplay, and a few other places, the film also landed a surprise supporting actress nomination for Elle Fanning, who joined her co-star Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas. Joachim Trier also landed a coveted best director nom in a very competitive field, and the film also earned a surprise editing nomination. It’s clear there’s love for this Norwegian family drama across the board. —R.F.
SURPRISE: The Voice of Hind Rajab Lands in International Feature
Only one film in the international feature category was not released by Neon, which has become the go-to distributor for foreign language Oscar fodder. The Voice of Hind Rajab is an emotional story about volunteers at the Palestine Red Crescent Society responding to the killing of a five-year-old Palestinian girl. Germany’s Sound of Falling and South Korea’s No Other Choice were both vying for this final slot in this category, but The Voice of Hind Rajab, with its restrained yet emotionally devastating filmmaking, is undeniably timely as the war in Gaza rages on. The film’s nomination also marks only the second time that Tunisia has earned a nomination in this category. —R.F.
