Oscars 2026: ‘Sinners’ Breaks Records With Most Nominations Ever

Vanessa Obioha

Ryan Coogler’s 1930s-set horror film ‘Sinners’ rooted in Black culture dominated the Oscars 2026 nominations list, earning 16 nods — the highest in the Academy’s history. Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another,’ whose themes revolved around citizen resistance followed closely with 13 nominations. Both films, produced by Warner Bros. Discovery, are nominated in various categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and many others.

‘Sentimental Value,’ a subtitled Norwegian family, received nine nominations while ‘Hamnet’ inspired by Shakespeare received eight nods.

Also contesting in the Best Picture race which was expanded to 10 in 2022 is Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’ which also secured a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Jacob Elordi, who plays the Creature.
The film earned additional nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Cinematography.
‘Marty Supreme,’ ‘F1,’ ‘Bugonia,’ ‘Hamnet,’ ‘The Secret Agent,’ ‘Sentimental Value’ and ‘Train Dreams,’ complete the Best Picture lineup.

The Best Actor category features both newcomers and familiar faces. Wagner Moura becomes the first Brazilian to be nominated for an Oscar, for his role in ‘The Secret Agent.’ while Timothée Chalamet (‘Marty Supreme’) earned his third Best Actor Oscar nomination for his titular role as the abrasive, single-minded table tennis player. They are up against Leonardo DiCaprio (‘One Battle After Another’) in his turn as a burned-out revolutionary; Ethan Hawke for his portrayal of the lyricist Lorenz Hart in ‘Blue Moon’ and Michael B. Jordan, playing twins in ‘Sinners.’

In the Best Director category, Anderson and Coogler face competition from Josh Safdie who landed a slot for his first solo directing effort, ‘Marty Supreme,’ first-time directing nominee Joachim Trier (‘Sentimental Value’) and a previous winner, Chloé Zhao (‘Hamnet’).

The women in the Best Actress category include Jessie Buckley in ‘Hamnet,’ Rose Byrne in ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,’ Kate Hudson in ‘Song Sung Blue,’ the Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve in ‘Sentimental Value’ and the two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone in ‘Bugonia.’

Teyana Taylor also fetched a nomination in Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal as a fierce revolutionary in ‘One Battle After Another,’ as did Wunmi Mosaku for her performance in ‘Sinners.’ Other nominees in that category include Amy Madigan (‘Weapons’), Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value).

The Oscars ceremony will be held on March 15 and hosted by TV personality and comedian Conan O’Brien.