Ryan Coogler’s vampire thriller Sinners broke the Oscar record on 22 January 2026, snagging a record-breaking 16 nominations for the 98th Academy Awards, the first-ever film to hit that mark. The supernatural hit, starring Michael B Jordan as twin siblings opening a 1930s Mississippi blues club amid racism and vampires, grossed $368 million worldwide.
Sinners overshadowed the previous record of 14 nominations shared by All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997), and La La Land (2016). These nominations span Best Picture, Director (Coogler), Lead Actor (Jordan), Supporting Actor (Delroy Lindo), Supporting Actress (Wunmi Mosaku), Original Screenplay, Academy’s first Casting nomination, Production Design, Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Makeup/ Hairstyling, Sound, Visual Effects, Original Score, and Song ‘Lied To.’ Coogler called this “pretty crazy.”
Paul Thomas Anderson’s offbeat comedy, One Battle After Another, trails with 13 nominations, favored for Best Picture and Director. Teyana Taylor eyes Supporting Actress along with Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and Benicio Del Toro. Other hit releases like Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, and Frankenstein tie at nine each. The Best Picture 2026 shortlist includes One Battle After Another, Sinners, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, and Frankenstein.
Expectations temper wins; in the past, 14-nomination films took 6 to 11 Oscars, but Sinners may get a few less despite the buzz. The shortlist of this year’s Oscars for Best Picture is very tight. Jordan battles DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme); Chanse Infinity snubbed for Lead Actress. Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue) made the cut.
Winners will be announced on 15 March 2026. Stay tuned for more 2026 Academy Awards updates.
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