Sinners is easily one of the best movies of the year so far. Ryan Coogler’s genre-bending horror movie got fantastic reviews, amᴀssing a 97% Tomatometer. One of its champions was ScreenRant‘s Mae Abdulbaki, who gave the movie 9 out of 10 stars, praising its pacing and performances.

This movie was also supported by its audience. Viewers loved the movie almost as much as critics, giving it a 96% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes. The film was also widely seen, doing well at the box office. Exceeding expectations, Sinners made over $364 million worldwide, which is an impressive total for an original horror movie, especially one that was R-rated.

Given this extremely positive reception, Sinners is already in the early awards season conversation. If the horror movie does wind up scoring one key Oscar nomination, it could make Academy Awards history.

Sinners Is A Strong Oscars Contender In Many Categories, Including Best Picture

And It Is A Shoo-in For Music Nominations

There are numerous categories that Sinners could be in contention for. One of the most likely would be Best Original Score and Best Original Song for one of the many impressive soul tunes on its soundtrack. Ludwig Göransson composed its impressive melodies, and coming off a recent win for Oppenheimer, he seems like a shoo-in.

Sinners‘ performances have also been a source of praise, making acting nominations more likely. Michael B. Jordan could get his first (and much overdue) Best Actor nod for playing both Smoke and Stack. Other contenders might include Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, and newcomer Miles Caton.

The horror movie also seems likely to be nominated for Best Costume Design for its 1930s Southern period looks. The costumes were crafted by Ruth E. Carter, a two-time Oscar winner who previously won for both Black Panther movies. Fellow Coogler collaborator Hannah Beachler also seems like a possible nominee for her big-scale production design.

Among these technical categories, Sinners could be a contender for Best Picture. There is still a lot of the year left before Oscar season really starts up, but Coogler’s masterpiece has maintained enough momentum and praise that it could wind up with a Best Picture nod.

Sinners’ Best Picture Oscar Nomination Would Be Historic For Ryan Coogler

No Black Director Has Had Two Best Pictures Before

A Best Picture nomination for Sinners would be notable for multiple reasons. Firstly, it would see a horror movie nominated for Best Picture for the second year in a row (after 2024’s The Substance), representing an industry rarity. It would be especially notable given the film came out so early in the year.

Even more historically, however, it would make Coogler the first Black director to have helmed two Best Picture nominees. Coogler’s first Best Picture-nominated film was Black Panther, which helped solidify his great reputation. Several Black directors helmed Best Picture nominees, including Lee Daniels, Steve McQueen, and Barry Jenkins. RaMell Ross recently joined this group, as his film Nickel Boys was recently nominated for Best Picture.

Even directors that one would expect to have had two Best Picture nominees have not done so. Notably getting snubbed for Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X, Black cinema legend Spike Lee only has one Best Picture nominee (BlacKkKlansman). As such, Coogler would become the first to do so, in a landmark victory.

Ryan Coogler’s Potentially Historic Oscar Nomination Says A Lot About The Academy’s History

The Oscars Are Trying To Improve

While this nomination would be exciting for Coogler, this is a telling point about the Academy Awards. It is, unfortunately, very typical that it would take 97 years for the Academy Awards to recognize a Black director twice in the Oscars’ most coveted category. This does not show a great track record.

The racial disparities in the Academy have been brought into the spotlight more in the last decade. In 2015 and 2016, the online phenomenon #OscarsSoWhite was popularized in response to the all-white acting nominees. This has helped increase awareness of the Academy’s lack of diversity, both in its voting body and who it ends up nominating.

As a result, some areas have improved in recent years. While nominees still tend to be majority white, the diversity among nominees has improved significantly over the past few years. This includes recognizing more Black talent, as well as more Asian and Asian-American nominees, among other groups.

Still, it is always surprising how long the Academy takes to reach certain milestones. Hildur Guðnadóttir became the first woman to win Best Original Score (for Joker), but sadly, this did not come until 2020. Furthermore, no Black person has ever won Best Director at the Oscars, representing another shortcoming.

These gaps make Coogler’s nomination(s) all the more important. Given the majority-Black cast and crew, it would be considered an especially major upset if it were to be snubbed for Best Picture or other major categories. The Academy has the chance to give Coogler a historic nomination through a Sinners Best Picture nod, and it should not miss its opportunity.