PLEASE NOTE: This forecast, assembled by Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter’s executive editor of awards coverage, reflects Scott’s best attempt to predict the behavior of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, not his personal preferences. He arrives at these projections by drawing upon conversations with voters and other industry insiders, analysis of marketing and awards campaigns, results of awards ceremonies that precede the Oscars, and the history of the Oscars itself. There will be regular updates to reflect new developments.
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Best Picture
Frontrunners1. Barbie (Warner Bros.)2. Oppenheimer (Universal)3. Past Lives (A24)4. Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple)5. Poor Things (Searchlight)6. The Holdovers (Focus)7. American Fiction (Amazon/MGM)8. The Zone of Interest (A24)9. Maestro (Netflix)10. Anatomy of a Fall (Neon)
Major Threats11. Society of the Snow (Netflix)12. May December (Netflix)13. The Color Purple (Warner Bros.)14. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony)
Possibilities15. Saltburn (Amazon/MGM)16. Air (Amazon/MGM)17. Ferrari (Neon)18. Origin (Neon)
Best Director
Frontrunners1. Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)2. Greta Gerwig (Barbie) — podcast3. Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon)4. Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest)5. Celine Song (Past Lives)
Major Threats6. Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things)7. Alexander Payne (The Holdovers)8. Bradley Cooper (Maestro)9. Cord Jefferson (American Fiction)10. Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall)11. Todd Haynes (May December) — podcast
Possibilities12. J.A. Bayona (Society of the Snow)13. Blitz Bazawule (The Color Purple)14. Hayao Miyazaki (The Boy and the Heron)15. Emerald Fennell (Saltburn)16. Michael Mann (Ferrari)17. Ava DuVernay (Origin)
Best Actor
Frontrunners1. Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) — podcast2. Bradley Cooper (Maestro)3. Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)4. Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction)5. Leonardo DiCaprio (Killers of the Flower Moon)
Major Threats6. Colman Domingo (Rustin)7. Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers)8. Barry Keoghan (Saltburn)9. Matt Damon (Air)
Possibilities10. Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario) — podcast11. Franz Rogowski (Passages)12. Christian Friedel (The Zone of Interest)13. Adam Driver (Ferrari) — podcast
Best Actress
Frontrunners1. Emma Stone (Poor Things) — podcast2. Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon)3. Margot Robbie (Barbie) — podcast4. Carey Mulligan (Maestro) — podcast5. Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall)
Major Threats6. Greta Lee (Past Lives)7. Annette Bening (Nyad)8. Natalie Portman (May December) — podcast9. Helen Mirren (Golda) — podcast
Possibilities10. Alma Pöysti (Fallen Leaves)11. Fantasia Barrino (The Color Purple)12. Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla)13. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Origin) — podcast14. Jessica Chastain (Memory) — podcast
Best Supporting Actor
Frontrunners1. Ryan Gosling (Barbie)2. Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)3. Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things)4. Willem Dafoe (Poor Things) — podcast5. Charles Melton (May December)
Major Threats6. Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon) — podcast7. Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction) — podcast8. Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers)9. Glenn Howerton (BlackBerry)
Possibilities10. Jesse Plemons (Killers of the Flower Moon) — podcast11. Jamie Bell (All of Us Strangers)12. Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers)13. Chris Messina (Air)14. Peter Sarsgaard (Memory)
Best Supporting Actress
Frontrunners1. Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)2. Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple) — podcast3. Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer) — podcast4. Jodie Foster (Nyad) — podcast5. Julianne Moore (May December) — podcast
Major Threats6. Rosamund Pike (Saltburn) — podcast7. Sandra Hüller (The Zone of Interest)8. America Ferrera (Barbie)9. Erika Alexander (American Fiction)
Possibilities10. Penélope Cruz (Ferrari) — podcast11. Taraji P. Henson (The Color Purple) — podcast12. Claire Foy (All of Us Strangers) — podcast13. Viola Davis (Air)
Best Adapted Screenplay
Frontrunners1. Barbie (Noah Baumbach & Greta Gerwig) — podcast (Gerwig)2. Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan)3. Poor Things (Tony McNamara)4. Killers of the Flower Moon (Eric Roth & Martin Scorsese)5. American Fiction (Cord Jefferson)
Major Threats6. The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer)7. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Dave Callaham, Phil Lord & Chris Miller)8. Society of the Snow (J.A. Bayona, Nicolás Casariego, Jaime Marques & Bernat Vilaplana)9. All of Us Strangers (Andrew Haigh)
Possibilities10. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (Kelly Fremon Craig)11. Priscilla (Sofia Coppola)12. The Color Purple (Marcus Gardley)13. Monster (Yuji Sakamoto)
Best Original Screenplay
Frontrunners1. Past Lives (Celine Song)2. The Holdovers (David Hemingson)3. Anatomy of a Fall (Arthur Harari & Justine Triet)4. Maestro (Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer)5. May December (Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik)
Major Threats6. Saltburn (Emerald Fennell)7. Air (Alex Convery)8. Rustin (Dustin Lance Black & Julian Breece)
Possibilities9. Asteroid City (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)10. Origin (Ava DuVernay)11. Dream Scenario (Kristoffer Borgli)
Best International Feature
Frontrunners1. The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom)2. Society of the Snow (Spain)3. The Taste of Things (France)4. Four Daughters (Tunisia)5. The Teacher’s Lounge (Germany)
Major Threats6. Perfect Days (Japan)7. 20 Days in Mariupol (Ukraine)
Can’t Yet CallGodland (Iceland)Totem (Mexico)Io Capitano (Italy)Fallen Leaves (Finland)The Promised Land (Denmark)The Mother of All Lies (Morocco)Amerikatsi (Armenia)The Monk and the Gun (Bhutan)
Best Documentary Feature
Frontrunners1. American Symphony (Netflix)2. Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (Apple) — podcast (Davis Guggenheim)3. Beyond Utopia (Roadside)4. 20 Days in Mariupol (PBS)5. Four Daughters (Kino Lorber)
Major Threats6. Stamped from the Beginning (Netflix) — podcast (Roger Ross Williams)7. The Eternal Memory (MTV)8. Bobi Wine: The People’s President (Nat Geo)9. To Kill a Tiger (still seeking U.S. distribution)10. Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy (Kino Lorber/Zeitgeist)
Can’t Yet Call32 Sounds (Abramorama)Apolonia, Apolonia (still seeking U.S. distribution)Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (HBO)In the Rearview (Film Movement)A Still Small Voice (Abramorama)
Best Animated Feature
Frontrunners1. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony)2. The Boy and the Heron (GKIDS)3. Elemental (Pixar) — podcast (Pete Docter)4. Nimona (Netflix)5. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Illumination)
Major Threats6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount)7. Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (Netflix)8. Leo (Netflix)9. Wish (Disney)10. They Shot the Piano Player (Sony Classics)
Can’t Yet CallAmazing Maurice (Viva)Deep Sea (Viva)Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibbertia (GKIDS)The First Slam Dunk (GKIDS)Migration (Illumination)Robot Dreams (Neon)Stopmotion (IFC)Suzume (Toho)Trolls Band Together (DreamWorks)
Best Cinematography
Frontrunners1. Oppenheimer (Hoyte van Hoytema)2. Killers of the Flower Moon (Rodrigo Prieto)3. Poor Things (Robbie Ryan)4. The Zone of Interest (Lukasz Zal)5. Maestro (Matthew Libatique)
Major Threats6. Barbie (Rodrigo Prieto)7. Saltburn (Linus Sandgren)8. The Color Purple (Dan Laustsen)9. Society of the Snow (Pedro Luque)10. Ferrari (Erik Messerschmidt)11. Napoleon (Dariusz Wolski)
Possibilities12. Past Lives (Shabier Kirchner)13. May December (Christopher Blauvelt)14. The Taste of Things (Jonathan Ricquebourg)15. The Holdovers (Eigil Byrid)16. Air (Robert Richardson)17. The Killer (Erik Messerschmidt)
Best Costume Design
Frontrunners1. Barbie (Jacqueline Durran)2. Poor Things (Holly Waddington)3. Killers of the Flower Moon (Jacqueline West)4. The Color Purple (Francine Jamison-Tanchuck)5. Wonka (Lindy Hemming)
Major Threats6. Napoleon (David Crossman & Janty Yates)7. Maestro (Mark Bridges)8. The Little Mermaid (Colleen Atwood)9. Oppenheimer (Ellen Mirojnick)10. Priscilla (Stacey Battat)
Possibilities11. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (Ann Roth)12. Ferrari (Massimo Cantini Parrini)13. Asteroid City (Milena Canonero)14. Saltburn (Sophie Canale)17. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Trish Summerville)
Best Film Editing
Frontrunners1. Oppenheimer (Jennifer Lame)2. Killers of the Flower Moon (Thelma Schoonmaker)3. Poor Things (Yorgos Mavropsaridis)4. Barbie (Nick Houy)5. The Holdovers (Kevin Tent)
Major Threats6. Maestro (Michelle Tesoro)7. Ferrari (Pietro Scalia)8. The Killer (Kirk Baxter)9. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Michael Andrews)10. Past Lives (Keith Fraase)
Possibilities11. Air (William Goldenberg)12. American Fiction (Hilda Rasula)13. The Zone of Interest (Paul Watts)14. Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One (Eddie Hamilton)15. The Color Purple (Jon Poll)
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
Frontrunners1. Maestro (Kay Georgiou, Sian Grigg, Kazu Hiro & Lori McCoy-Bell)2. Poor Things (Mark Couler, Nadia Stacey & Josh Weston)3. Killers of the Flower Moon (Kay Georgiou & Thomas Nellen)4. Golda (Suzi Battersby, Ashra Kelly-Blue & Karen Hartley Thomas)5. Society of the Snow (Ana López-Puigcerver, Belén López-Puigcerver, David Martí & Montse Ribé)
Major Threats6. Oppenheimer (Luisa Abel, Jason Hamer, Jaime Leigh McIntosh & Ahou Mofid)7. Ferrari (Elisabetta Arlotti, Nicolas Iles, Feredrico Martellacci & Leonardo Signoretti)8. Napoleon (Jana Carboni & Francesco Pegoretti)9. Beau Is Afraid (Félix Larivière & Colin Penman)10. The Last Voyage of the Demeter (TBD)
Best Original Score
Frontrunners1. Killers of the Flower Moon (Robbie Robertson)2. Oppenheimer (Ludwig Göransson)3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Daniel Pemberton)4. Poor Things (Jerskin Fendrix)5. Barbie (Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt)
Major Threats6. The Zone of Interest (Mica Levi)7. The Holdovers (Mark Orton)8. Elemental (Thomas Newman)9. American Fiction (Laura Karpman)10. Society of the Snow (Michael Giacchino)
Possibilities11. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (John Williams)12. American Symphony (Jon Batiste)13. The Boy and the Heron (Joe Hisaishi)14. The Color Purple (Kris Bowers)15. Saltburn (Anthony Willis)
Best Original Song
Frontrunners1. “What Was I Made For?” (Barbie), Billie Eilish & Finneas — podcast2. “I’m Just Ken” (Barbie), Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt — podcast (Ronson)3. “Road to Freedom” (Rustin), Lenny Kravitz — podcast4. “It Never Went Away” (American Symphony), Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson5. “The Fire Inside” (Flamin’ Hot), Diane Warren — podcast
Major Threats6. “Dance the Night” (Barbie), Caroline Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt — podcasts (Lipa & Ronson)7. “High Life” (Flora and Son), John Carney & Gary Clark8. “Meet in the Middle” from Flora and Son, John Carney, Gary Clark & Eve Hewson9. “Keep It Movin’” (The Color Purple), Denisia Andrews, Halle Bailey, Brittany Coney & Morten Ristorp10. “Can’t Catch Me Now” (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), Dan Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo — podcast (Rodrigo)
Possibilities11. “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon, Scott George12. “Quiet Eyes” (Past Lives), Zach Dawes & Sharon Von Etten13. “Am I Dreaming” (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), Michael Dean, Peter Lee Johnson, Rakim Mayers, Landon Wayne & Leland Wayne14. “Superpower (I)” (The Color Purple), Terius Gesteelde-Diamant15. “Dear Alien (Who Art in Heaven)” from Asteroid City, Wes Anderson & Jarvis Cocker
Best Production Design
Frontrunners1. Barbie (Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer)2. Oppenheimer (Ruth De Jong & Claire Kaufman)3. Killers of the Flower Moon (Jack Fish & Adam Willis)4. Poor Things (Shona Heath, James Price & Szusza Mihalek)5. Maestro (Rena DeAngelo & Kevin Thompson)
Major Threats6. Saltburn (Suzie Davis & Charlotte Diricks)7. Asteroid City (Kris Moran & Adam Stockhausen)8. Wonka (Nathan Crowley & Lee Sandales)9. The Color Purple (Paul D. Austerberry & Larry Dias)10. Napoleon (Elli Griff & Arthur Max)11. Society of the Snow (Alain Bainée & Angela Nahum)
Possibilites12. The Zone of Interest (Joanna Kus, Chris Oddy & Katarzyna Sikora)13. Ferrari (Maria Djurkovic & Sophie Phillips)14. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Patrick O’Keefe)15. Priscilla (Patricia Cuccia & Tamara Deverell)16. Air (François Audouy & Jan Pascale)17. May December (Sam Lisenco & Jess Royal)
Best Sound
Frontrunners1. Oppenheimer (Willie Burton, Richard King, Kevin O’Connell & Gary A. Rizzo)2. Maestro (Richard King, Steve Morrow, Tom Ozanich, Jason Ruder & Dean Zupancic)3. Ferrari (Tony Lamberti, Lee Orloff, Andy Nelson & Bernard Weiser)4. Killers of the Flower Moon (John Pritchett, Philip Stockton & Mark Ulano)5. Barbie (Dan Kenyon, Ai-Ling Lee, Kevin O’Connell & Nina Rice)
Major Threats6. The Zone of Interest (Johnnie Burn)7. Napoleon (Stephane Bucher, James Harrison, Paul Massey, William Miller & Oliver Tarney)8. The Killer (Ren Klyce, Drew Kunin, Jeremy Molod & Stephen Urata)9. The Creator (Erik Aadahl, Tom Ozanich, Ethan Van Der Ryn, Ian Voigt & Dean Zupancic)10. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning, Part One (Chris Burdon, James H. Mather & Chris Munro)
Best Visual Effects
Frontrunners1. Poor Things2. Society of the Snow3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 34. The Creator5. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning, Part One
Major Threats6. Napoleon7. Godzilla: Minus One8. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse9. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny10. Rebel Moon: Part One — A Child of Fire
Best Animated Short
Can’t Yet Call27 (ARTE Mediathek)BoomEeva (Miyu)Humo (Smoke)I’m HipA Kind of TestamentKoerkorter (Dog Apartment)Letter to a Pig (Miyu)Ninety-Five SensesOnce Upon a Studio (Disney)Our UniformPachydermePete (The Criterion Channel)War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & YokoWild Summon
Best Documentary Short
Frontrunners1. The ABCs of Book Banning (MTV) — podcast (Sheila Nevins)2. Camp Courage (Netflix)3. Deciding Vote (The New Yorker)4. The Barber of Little Rock (The New Yorker)5. Last Song from Kabul (MTV)
Major ThreatsThe Last Repair Shop (L.A. Times/Searchlight)Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó (Hulu)
Can’t Yet CallBearBetween Earth & Sky (POV)Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand GamesHow We Get FreeIf Dreams Were Lightning: Rural Healthcare CrisisIsland in BetweenOasis (New York Times Op-Docs)Wings of Dust (still seeking U.S. distribution)
Best Live-Action Short
Frontrunners1. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (Netflix)2. Strange Way of Life (Sony Classics) — podcast (Pedro Almodóvar)3. The After (Netflix) — podcast (David Oyelowo)
Can’t Yet CallThe Anne Frank Gift Shop (Reboot)An Avocado PitBienvenidos a Los AngelesDead CatGood BoyInvincibleInvisible BorderKnight of Fortune (The New Yorker)The One Note ManRed, White and BlueThe Shepherd (Disney)Yellow
