Your Go-To Guide for Following the Oscars Live
The 98th Oscars promise an evening filled with suspense and excitement, a welcome shift from recent years marked by predictability and declining ratings. This year’s Best Picture race features major commercial films, alongside competitive categories featuring titles familiar to a global audience. The only clear frontrunner appears to be Jessie Buckley from Hamnet, while Sean Penn from One Battle After Another is emerging as the favorite for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the complex soldier Frank Lockjaw.
In the Best Actor category, a fierce contest is unfolding. Initially, Leonardo DiCaprio was the front-runner after winning the National Board of Review award for his portrayal of a disillusioned revolutionary. However, momentum shifted towards Timothée Chalamet, whose role as a highly-strung ping pong player in Marty Supreme won him a Golden Globe. Recently, a late surge from Sinners positioned Michael B. Jordan as a slight favorite, following his recognition at the SAG-AFTRA Actor Awards.
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One Battle After Another has been a strong contender since its release, while Sinners closely follows. Both films represent major studio efforts from Warner Bros., which is currently in the process of being acquired by Paramount Global. Production chiefs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy took significant risks with these projects, which faced skepticism from industry commentators. One Battle After Another was criticized for its high budget, while Sinners encountered backlash over contractual stipulations in Ryan Coogler’s original script.
Together, the two films have garnered 29 Oscar nominations. Coogler and Anderson are poised to contend for both Best Original and Best Adapted Screenplays, as well as Best Picture and Best Director honors. Hamnet could be an outside contender, but the spotlight is expected to shine on One Battle and Sinners, along with their respective creators. Amidst the excitement, Richard Brenner, a longtime associate of De Luca, humorously referenced the Oscars during a CinemaCon preview of Zach Cregger’s Weapons, a remark that has since proved prescient. Amy Madigan’s nomination for Best Supporting Actress, coupled with her wins at the Actor Awards and Critics Choice, adds another layer of intrigue. Teyana Taylor, praised for her role as revolutionary Perfidia Beverly Hills, may also have her own impact on the evening.
