The 2025 Oscars should see a strong variety of films bringing home Awards, but one movie seems likely to take the lead. Screen Rant’s Oscar predictions for every category see a clean spread of awards divided between the many successful films that were released in 2024. That said, there are several metrics that can determine which film is the “big winner” on Sunday night. Aside from just winning Best Picture, the movie that accumulates the greatest total number of Awards will undoubtedly be celebrated.
Netflix’s divisive film Emilia Pérez tops the list of total nominations with 13, and while being nominated is an accomplishment in and of itself, it’s the Oscar winners that matter most on the night of the ceremony. In a year of widespread acclaim, it’s hard to pin down exactly what will happen, but the narratives surrounding certain films, previous awards shows like the Golden Globes and SAG Awards, as well as Oscars history, point toward specific тιтles. Based on those parameters, I’m predicting one film to rack up the trophies.
Why The Brutalist Will Likely Win The Most Awards At The Oscars 2025
The Oscars Love Epic Movies, & The Brutalist Is As Epic As It Gets
The moment The Brutalist first released its trailer, I anticipated it would be a clear-cut contender for 2025’s Best Picture race. Not only is it a phenomenal film with unbelievable performances, but it’s also the type of movie that the Academy typically recognizes. I could see The Brutalist picking up at least four of the following: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. It could potentially win all six, but I think the Academy will spread things out a bit more.
Whether it’s The Brutalist or another film, I’d anticipate the big winner coming out with four or five in total, with a majority of those being in production categories. The acting categories, in particular, should be fairly widespread among different movies, with Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez), and Demi Moore (The Substance) being almost guaranteed. Adrien Brody could pick up the Best Actor award, but Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown) is also a real possibility following The Brutalist’s AI controversy.
Which Other Movies Could Win Multiple Awards
Several Other Candidates Could Be Multi-Oscar Winners
While I do believe The Brutalist will top the leaderboard on Sunday night, I don’t think it’s going to have any sort of astounding lead. Oppenheimer took home seven Oscars in 2024, but I don’t see any film this year having such an impressive total. Conclave, Anora, and Emilia Pérez could all feasibly win multiple awards as well. I could even see Dune: Part Two picking up Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, and potentially even Best Cinematography, offering a rare sci-fi genre Oscar contender.
Movies like Wicked, A Complete Unknown, and The Substance could end up surprising everyone with multiple wins.
This year’s Oscars excite me more than previous years due to the potential for variety. Everyone knew Oppenheimer was taking home several of the big awards last year, and while I can make predictions ahead of the 2025 Academy Awards, it’s all way less guaranteed than 2024’s ceremony. Movies like Wicked, A Complete Unknown, and The Substance could end up surprising everyone with multiple wins. The only reason I’d anticipate The Brutalist being a guaranteed multi-winner is the Oscars’ consistent gravitation toward World War II and period epics.
Which Movies Have Won The Most Oscars?
There’s A Three-Way Tie For The Most Oscar Wins
The record for the most Oscar wins is held by three movies, including 1997’s epic тιтanic, which was also the highest-grossing movie ever upon release. The other two movies with the most wins are the historical epic Ben-Hur and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, all three of which accumulated 11 wins. None of these movies are set in or around World War II, but it’s worth noting that they’re all enormous epics. Given that Oppenheimer was last year’s big winner, it’d be hard to argue that the Academy has moved away from its appreciation for mᴀssive films.
In terms of total nominations, only three films have ever been nominated fourteen times, including тιтanic, All About Eve, and La La Land, though the latter two didn’t have as much success with wins. Emilia Pérez’s 13 nominations make it astoundingly impressive, but the various controversies surrounding it may damage its chances of being a huge winner. 2025’s Oscars is one of the hardest to predict in recent years, meaning it’s doubtful that any movie will come close to these movies’ record.
