The best films of the year are competing for the biggest trophy in Hollywood at the 2026 Oscars — and Us Weekly is weighing in on who will take home the night’s most prestigious wins.
It’s been an unexpected awards season leading up to the Sunday, March 15, ceremony, with One Battle After Another breaking out into an early lead with its Golden Globe sweep, winning Best Picture, Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson and Best Supporting Actress for Teyana Taylor. Timothée Chalamet and Jessie Buckley also appeared to be shoe-ins for the Best Actor and Actress categories for their respective films, Marty Supreme and Hamnet, while Stellan Skarsgård took the win for Best Supporting Actor.
That all changed, however, when SAG’s 2026 Actor Awards came along in early March, with Michael B. Jordan securing a surprise Best Lead Actor win for his roles as twins Stack and Smoke in Sinners. The horror-thriller also took home Best Cast, while Weapons’ Amy Madigan and One Battle After Another’s Sean Penn snagged the Best Supporting categories.
Walking into the 98th Academy Awards, only Buckley’s Best Actress and Anderson’s Best Director wins seem to be a sure thing. Keep scrolling to see Us’ picks for some of this year’s Oscars’ biggest categories:
Oscars 2026 Nominations: See the List of Academy Awards Nominees
Best Picture
Nominated:
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
Will Win: Sinners
Best Actor
Nominated:
Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Will Win: Michael B Jordan, Sinners
Best Actress
Nominated:
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Emma Stone, Bugonia
Will Win: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Best Supporting Actor
Nominated:
Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo, Sinners
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
Will Win: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Best Supporting Actress
Nominated:
Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners
Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Will Win: Amy Madigan, Weapons
Best Original Screenplay
Nominated:
Blue Moon
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Will Win: Sinners
Best Director
Nominated:
Chloe Zhao, Hamnet
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Will Win: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Best Adapted Screenplay
Nominated:
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Train Dreams
Will Win: One Battle After Another
Best Animated Feature Film
Nominated:
Arco
Elio
KPop Demon Hunters
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Will Win: KPop Demon Hunters
Best Costume Design
Nominated:
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Sinners
Will Win: Frankenstein
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Nominated:
Frankenstein
Kokuho
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister
Will Win: Frankenstein
Best Original Score
Nominated:
Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Will Win: Hamnet
Where to Watch All the 2026 Oscar-Nominated Movies: ‘Sinners,’ ‘Weapons,’ More
Best International Feature
Nominated:
The Secret Agent, Brazil
It Was Just an Accident, France
Sentimental Value, Norway
Sirat, Spain
The Voice of Hind Rajab, Tunisia
Will Win: Sentimental Value
