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Final 96th Academy Award Nomination Predictions

In the heart of awards season, the film industry’s most prestigious celebration looms on the horizon — the 96thAcademy Awards. As anticipation reaches a fever pitch, cinephiles, industry insiders, and the stars themselves eagerly await the announcement of the this year’s Oscar nominations.

This is a front-row seat look to the potential nominees that will be unveiled on Tuesday morning, a moment that sets the stage for the grandeur and glamour of the Oscars ceremony.

Here are my final predictions for this year’s Academy Award nominations:

Best Picture:

1 Oppenheimer
2 Barbie
3 Killers Of The Flower Moon
4 The Holdovers
5 Poor Things
6 American Fiction
7 Past Lives
8 Maestro
9 The Zone Of Interest
10 Anatomy Of A Fall

Best Director:

1 Christopher Nolan (OPPENHEIMER)
2 Martin Scorsese (KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON)
3 Alexander Payne (THE HOLDOVERS)
4 Greta Gerwig (BARBIE)
5 Jonathan Glazer (THE ZONE OF INTEREST)

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

1 Cillian Murphy (OPPENHEIMER)
2 Paul Giamatti (THE HOLDOVERS)
3 Bradley Cooper (MAESTRO)
4 Colman Domingo (RUSTIN)
5 Leonardo DiCaprio (KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON)

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

1 Lily Gladstone (KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON)
2 Emma Stone (POOR THINGS)
3 Sandra Huller (ANATOMY OF A FALL)
4 Carey Mulligan (MAESTRO)
5 Margot Robbie (BARBIE)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

1 Robert Downey Jr. (OPPENHEIMER)
2 Ryan Gosling (BARBIE)
3 Mark Ruffalo (POOR THINGS)
4 Robert De Niro (KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON)
5 Willem Dafoe (POOR THINGS)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:

1 Da’Vine Joy Randolph (THE HOLDOVERS)
2 Danielle Brooks (THE COLOR PURPLE)
3 Emily Blunt (OPPENHEIMER)
4 Jodie Fister (NYAD)
5 America Ferrera (BARBIE)

Best Animated Feature Film:

1 Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
2 The Boy and the Heron
3 Elemental
4 Nimona
5 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Best International Feature Film:

1 THE ZONE OF INTEREST (United Kingdom)
2 THE TASTE OF THINGS (France)
3 SOCIETY OF THE SNOW (Spain)
4 TÓTEM (Mexico)
5 FALLEN LEAVES (Finland)

Best Original Screenplay:

1 PAST LIVES (Celine Song)
2 THE HOLDOVERS (David Hemingson)
3 ANATOMY OF A FALL (Justine Triet & Arthur Harari)
4 MAESTRO (Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer)
5 SALTBURN (Emerald Fennell)

Best Adapted Screenplay:

1 BARBIE (Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach)
2 OPPENHEIMER (Christopher Nolan)
3 AMERICAN FICTION (Cord Jefferson)
4 KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (Eric Roth & Martin Scorsese)
5 POOR THINGS (Tony McNamara)

Best Cinematography:

1 OPPENHEIMER (Hoyte Van Hoytema)
2 KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (Rodrigo Prieto)
3 MAESTRO (Matthew Libatique)
4 POOR THINGS (Robbie Ryan)
5 THE ZONE OF INTEREST (Lukasz Zal)

Best Film Editing:

1 Oppenheimer
2 Killers Of The Flower Moon
3 The Holdovers
4 Barbie
5 Anatomy of a Fall

Best Production Design:

1 Barbie
2 Poor Things
3 Killers Of The Flower Moon
4 Oppenheimer
5 The Zone of Interest

Best Costume Design:

1 Barbie
2 Poor Things
3 Killers Of The Flower Moon
4 Oppenheimer
5 Napoleon

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

1 Maestro
2 Poor Things
3 Oppenheimer
4 Golda
5 Society Of The Snow

Best Visual Effects:

1 Poor Things
2 The Creator
3 Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
4 Godzilla Minus One
5 Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny

Best Sound: .

1 Oppenheimer
2 Maestro
3 The Zone Of Interest
4 Napoleon
5 Ferrari

Best Original Score:

1 OPPENHEIMER (Ludwig Göransson)
2 KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (Robbie Robertson)
3 POOR THINGS (Jerskin Fendrix)
4 SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (Daniel Pemberton)
5 INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY (John Williams)

Best Original Song:

1 “What Was I Made For?” (BARBIE)
2 “I’m Just Ken” (BARBIE)
3 “Road To Freedom” (RUSTIN)
4 “It Never Went Away” (AMERICAN SYMPHONY)
5 “The Fire Inside” (FLAMIN’ HOT)

Best Documentary Feature:

1 20 Days In Mariupol
2 Beyond Utopia
3 Four Daughters
4 Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
5 The Eternal Memory

 

David Gonzalez
David Gonzalez is the founder and chief film critic of The Cinematic Reel (formerly Reel Talk Inc.) and host of the Reel Chronicles podcasts. A Cuban American independent film critic, David has built The Cinematic Reel around passionate, thoughtful film criticism spanning every genre, while championing diverse voices and perspectives across the industry. David is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-Approved Critic and currently serves as Vice President of the New Jersey Film Critics Circle (NJFCC). He is also a member of New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS), and the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA). His festival coverage has included the Sundance Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), New York Film Festival (NYFF), Tribeca Festival, and SXSW, among others. Through The Cinematic Reel, David provides year-round reviews, festival coverage, awards-season analysis, interviews, and commentary on both major studio releases and independent cinema. An avid film collector, lifelong cinephile, and dedicated awards watcher, David brings an enthusiastic and knowledgeable perspective to his writing and podcasting. His criticism has been featured in film marketing campaigns and physical-media releases, further establishing The Cinematic Reel as a growing independent voice in film criticism. For screening invitations, review opportunities, festival coverage, and other press inquiries, David can be reached at david@thecinematicreel.com.

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