The 2026 Oscars are still a long time away, but it’s never too early to begin speculating about which of this year’s biggest hits could end up making themselves known at the ceremony. There have already been some major Oscar candidates from 2025 so far, but the second half of the year is typically when the awards players come to light.

Although the Academy has done a great job of including different genres and honoring more newcomers over the past few years, it’s still fairly easy to spot when a film fits the typical criteria of an “Oscars movie”. Several of these projects are coming up over the next few months, with some even releasing on the same day and causing some exciting Oscars showdowns between actors.

10

After The Hunt

Directed By Luca Guadagnino

Following the immense success of both Queer and Challengers last year, Luca Guadagnino is back with his latest psychological thriller, After the Hunt. The movie stars Andrew Garfield, Julia Roberts, and Ayo Edebiri as two professors and their student whose lives are turned upside down when dangerous accusations are leveled against them.

Although Guadagnino’s breakthrough feature Call Me By Your Name performed excellently at the Academy Awards, pulling in a strong nomination for Best Picture, the filmmaker remains very underrepresented for his recent movies. Both Challengers and Bones And All missed out, despite their huge critical acclaim. Perhaps 2026 will finally be the Italian director’s year, with his star-studded cast pushing him to victory.

9

A House Of Dynamite

Directed By Kathryn Bigelow

Kathryn Bigelow is best known for her gritty, grounded action movies like The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty (both of which received Best Picture nominations), and A House of Dynamite seems to be following a similar format. Like many of Bigelow’s best movies, her upcoming feature is a political thriller that depicts the United States of America in its darkest moments.

A House of Dynamite follows a group of leading politicians in the moments before a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly missile strike against the American people, telling a high-stakes narrative of control and sacrifice. The movie stars Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, and Kaitlyn Dever in the lead roles, and marks her first directorial effort since 2017’s Detroit.

8

Wake Up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Directed By Rian Johnson

Both Rian Johnson’s Knives Out and Glᴀss Onion were nominated for their respective screenplay awards at the Oscars, and there’s no reason to believe that Wake Up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man will break the trend. The movie will premiere at the London Film Festival later this year, before landing on Netflix just months before the Academy Awards.

Johnson confirmed that Wake Up ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Man will be very different from Glᴀss Onion, ditching the slick and glossy visuals of the previous installment for a return to the dark, Gothic aesthetics of the original movie. Daniel Craig will return as Benoit Blanc, with newcomers including Jeremy Renner, Josh O’Connor, and Mila Kunis.

7

Bugonia

Directed By Yorgos Lanthimos

It’s never a good idea to bet against Yorgos Lanthimos at the Oscars, and Bugonia looks like one of the director’s most interesting and ambitious projects in a while. Though Kinds of Kindness received zero nominations at this year’s ceremony, the director has previously achieved success with projects like Poor Things, which was a strong contender for Best Picture in 2024.

Bugonia seems to be sticking to the dark humor of Lanthimos’ existing filmography, with the story following two crazed conspiracy theorists who capture the CEO of a major company when they become convinced she’s a hostile alien life form. The first trailer for Bugonia looks very promising, and the return of Lanthimos’ frequent collaborators Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons can only be a good sign.

6

Frankenstein

Directed By Guillermo Del Toro

Horror movies have historically suffered at the Oscars, but the Academy has become much more accepting of the genre over the past few years. With movies like The Substance and Get Out receiving Best Picture nominations over the past decade, there’s no reason to believe that a seasoned auteur like Guillermo del Toro won’t get in with his upcoming Frankenstein adaptation.

The movie is said to be a pᴀssion project of del Toro’s, as the director has been trying to get the monster movie off the ground for years. Though little has been revealed about Del Toro’s Frankenstein, the filmmaker has been warmly welcomed by the Academy in recent years, including a surprise Best Picture nomination for Nightmare Alley, so the movie seems like a comfortable bet.

5

The Smashing Machine

Directed By Benny Safdie

Benny Safdie first broke onto the scene after directing Good Time and Uncut Gems alongside his brother, but the director’s first solo feature, The Smashing Machine, may finally capture the Academy’s attention. With Dwayne Johnson in the lead role, the sports drama follows MMA fighter Mark Kerr as he faces towering obstacles both inside and outside the ring.

Following a string of studio comedies and action blockbusters from Johnson, The Smashing Machine seems like a major change of pace that could work wonders for the actor’s career. His experience in the world of wrestling makes him the perfect candidate to tell the true story of Mark Kerr’s life, and it’s exactly the kind of powerful drama that tends to perform very well at the Oscars.

4

Die, My Love

Directed By Lynne Ramsay

Die, My Love marks auteur filmmaker Lynne Ramsay’s long-awaited return after an eight-year hiatus, and the film opened to dazzling reviews outside of Cannes earlier this year. Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, the story centers around a young mother who develops postpartum depression and begins experiencing psycH๏τic episodes that change her outlook on life.

Both Lawrence and Pattinson received immense praise for their performances by critics at Cannes, and many pundits are currently predicting them for success at the 2026 Oscars. Ramsay’s previous movie, You Were Never Really Here, was completely snubbed by the Academy upon release, meaning several voters may be eager to give the director the praise she deserves this time around.

3

One Battle After Another

Directed By Paul Thomas Anderson

Paul Thomas Anderson is another huge name who shouldn’t be bet against at the Oscars, even though he’s never actually won. The director has become a figurehead of overdue Oscar narratives, with an incredible 11 nominations. Three of his films have even been nominated for Best Picture, but none of them managed to carry themselves to victory.

While it’s too early to speculate whether One Battle After Another will be the project that finally gets Anderson his Oscar, there’s certainly going to be a strong narrative going into this year’s awards season. With the film’s ensemble featuring the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro, and Sean Penn, the film will be impossible to overlook.

2

Wicked: For Good

Directed By Jon M. Chu

Jon M. Chu’s Wicked was an enormous success at last year’s Academy Awards, and the second part of this cinematic spectacle is going to be even bigger and more emotional than the first. There’s plenty to be excited about in Wicked: For Good, including several original songs and undoubtedly great performances that will be competing in the Oscars’ acting categories.

Although Wicked didn’t take home any above-the-line awards at last year’s ceremony, this will only strengthen the narrative for the sequel. Lead actors Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will certainly have strong claims in their respective categories, while the movie’s Best Picture chances have never been higher.

1

Avatar: Fire & Ash

Directed By James Cameron

If there’s one movie still to come in 2025 that’s essentially guaranteed to appear at the Academy Awards in some capacity, it’s James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire & Ash. The project is essentially a shoo-in for the below-the-line categories, including Best Visual Effects and Best Editing, but Best Picture also seems like a lock since both previous installments received a nomination in the category.

While it’s certainly possible that Fire & Ash will be the first Avatar movie not to receive a Best Picture nomination, this doesn’t seem likely. The initial teasers for the Avatar sequel display a huge technical proficiency that’s become almost taken for granted with this sci-fi series, but the enormous storytelling scale is what truly makes it a strong contender for Best Picture.

Oscars

8/10

Location

Los Angeles, CA

Dates

March 2, 2025

Network

ABC

Website

https://www.oscars.org/

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