Movies Update: The Oscar nominations

January 23, 2026

	By Mekado Murphy

Hey, movie fans!

With this year’s Oscar nominations came the breaking of a record. The Ryan Coogler vampire drama “Sinners” received more Oscar nominations than any other film in history: a stunning 16, including best picture, director, best casting (new this year) and three acting nods, as well as recognition in nearly every category for which it qualified. The writer Maya Salam looked at past record-holders and how “Sinners” shattered their tallies. And our Projectionist, Kyle Buchanan, broke down the surprises (a healthy showing for “F1”) and the snubs (“Wicked: For Good” was not so, um, popular).

Check out the full list of nominees here and see what readers had to say about them. You can also take a look at the films and performances our critics would have chosen if they were in the academy. And if you’re looking to catch up with the nominees you missed, here’s exactly where you can stream them.

Enjoy the movies!

Michael B. Jordan, in a tank top, stands, looking straight ahead, in a scene from “Sinners.” Behind him are several other people, out of focus.

Eli Adé/Warner Bros.

Oscar Nominations: ‘Sinners’ Breaks Record With 16

“One Battle After Another” was close behind with 13 nods. Acting nominees include Michael B. Jordan, Kate Hudson, Timothée Chalamet and Teyana Taylor.

By Brooks Barnes and Nicole Sperling

A dark image of a woman leaning against a grimy phone booth, holding a phone and listening.

Warner Bros.

2026 Oscar Nominations: See the Full List

The movies competing for the 98th Academy Awards. The ceremony will air on March 15.

By Shivani Gonzalez and Kellina Moore

Two photos set against a mustard-yellow background show a man as well as a woman with a tiara.

Warner Bros.; Universal Pictures

The Projectionist

Oscar Snubs and Surprises: ‘Sinners’ Makes History, ‘Wicked’ Withers

Ariana Grande, Chase Infiniti and Paul Mescal were shut out, but voters made room for Delroy Lindo, Kate Hudson and “F1.”

By Kyle Buchanan

A man wearing sunglasses, a beanie and a plaid robe uses a pay phone in front of a yellow wall. He holds a bag over his shoulder and speaks into the phone, pointing to himself.

Warner Bros.

Where to Stream the 2026 Oscar Nominees

Many of the top contenders can be watched at home. Here’s a guide to help you get a jump on the field.

By Scott Tobias

CRITICS’ PICKS

Reviews of the five films that received the most Oscar nominations

Two men, one with a mustache and beard, hold each other closely with distressed expressions as they look into the distance. The scene is dimly lit with a warm, orange glow, suggesting tension or fear.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic’s Pick

‘Sinners’ Review: Ryan Coogler’s Southern Horror Fantasia

The director goes boldly out there in his fifth feature, a genre-defying, mind-bending shoot-em-up that stars Michael B. Jordan as twins.

By Manohla Dargis

A man in a dirty plaid robe stands on a road holding a gun and staring ahead. A dark car with the door open stands behind him.

Warner Bros.

Critic’s pick

‘One Battle After Another’ Review: Paul Thomas Anderson’s Rallying Cry

The director, at the height of his powers, delivers a startling, present-day American epic, with Leonardo DiCaprio as a washed-up radical and doting dad.

By Manohla Dargis

A man and a woman look at each other pensively in front of a green bush.

Christian Belgaux/Neon

Critic’s pick

‘Sentimental Value’ Review: Joachim Trier’s Unhappy Household

In this moving drama from the director of “The Worst Person in the World,” Stellan Skarsgard and Renate Reinsve star as father and daughter in counterpoint.

By Manohla Dargis

A man in a white tank and dress shirt, flapping in the wind, runs on a New York City street.

A24

Critic’s Pick

‘Marty Supreme’ Review: Timothée Chalamet Sprints to the Top

The actor stars as a magnetic, striving table-tennis champ in Josh Safdie’s new movie, one of the most exciting movies of the year.

By Manohla Dargis

A man in a white shirt and blue vest holds up a glass tube in a scientific lab.

Ken Woroner/Netflix

Critic’s Pick

‘Frankenstein’ Review: Guillermo del Toro’s Creature Rises

The director’s interpretation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel is the movie he was born to make.

By Alissa Wilkinson

NEWS & FEATURES

Two men clutch each other in an outdoor setting. They’re both sweaty and look very frightened.

3 Films Used to Hold the Record for Oscar Nominations (Thanks to Some Quirks)

As categories evolved over time, the way to make academy history did, too. But for decades, no film topped 14 nods, until “Sinners” smashed the record.

By Maya Salam

Against a black background, four photos are arranged overlapping vertically. The top one shows several children; the others show individual adults.

Documentary Lens

In the Documentary Oscar Nominees, Acts of Defiance Big and Small

Reflecting the power of nonfiction filmmaking, each contender involves subjects and even directors resisting authority in different ways.

By Alissa Wilkinson

A film still shows a man in wire glasses from the shoulders up. Behind him are several out-of-focus figures who appear to be clapping.

Critic’s Notebook

‘Marty Supreme’ Has a Lot to Say About Being Jewish in America

The film’s unapologetic depiction of the experience in all of its complications rejects the idea that such characters have to suffer.

By Esther Zuckerman

A bald man with iodine-covered skin and dark circles around his eyes stands, arms outstretched, before an upside-down wooden cross surrounded by human skulls stacked in columns and lit by hanging lanterns and a circle of fire.

How Ralph Fiennes Rocks Out to Iron Maiden in ‘The Bone Temple’

One scene from the continuation of “28 Years Later” has Fiennes’s character performing to the song “The Number of the Beast.” A look at how the filmmakers pulled it off.

By Esther Zuckerman