The 98th Academy Awards are still over a month away, but the nominations have already indicated several promising signs for the future of Hollywood. Original cinema is back and better than ever, the right people are getting all the flowers they deserve, and the difference between what the Academy thinks is good and what the public thinks is good has gotten dramatically smaller.
To begin, the Best Picture nominees include huge pop culture hits such as “F1,” “Sinners,” and “Marty Supreme,” critically acclaimed features like “Hamnet,” “One Battle After Another,” and “Frankenstein,” as well as four other extremely well-received films by both the public and critics: “Bugonia,” “Train Dreams,” “Sentimental Value,” and “The Secret Agent.”
On Letterboxd six out of these 10 films lie in the app’s top 10 highest-rated movies of the year, and six of the 10 have also already achieved the rare feat of crossing 1 million viewers, with “Sinners,” “One Battle After Another,” and “Frankenstein” at over 2 million views.
This lineup of films contains the best blend of well-made, unique, successful, popular, and artistically brilliant nominees in recent Oscar history. Not only is that a testament to how incredible of a year 2025 was in film, but it also highlights that the Oscars are listening to movie fans worldwide and are picking films that are both in the cultural zeitgeist and deservedly belong in the conversation for the best film of the year. Thus, movie fans and the Academy’s reputation with movie fans are both already thriving regardless of who eventually picks up the golden trophy.
Regarding the award itself, “One Battle After Another” is shaping up to be the frontrunner for Best Picture and for the entire night. Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s thrilling and hilarious story about rebellion and revolution not only became the director’s highest grossing film by a large margin making $200 million worldwide, but it was also the highest rated action/adventure film of 2025 on Letterboxd, with an average rating of 4.2 out of 5.
The critical and financial success received 13 nominations, and will likely win Best Picture, Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Supporting Actress (Teyana Taylor), Best Adapted Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson), and potentially more, putting it in a comfortable spot to be the most successful film of the night. Personally, although this was not my favorite film of the year, I would be nothing short of ecstatic if “One Battle After Another” takes home the top prize. Not just as a huge fan of the film, but because it would be a promising sign for the future of Hollywood and the Academy. Similar to “Everything Everywhere All at Once” winning Best Picture in 2023, this would be another example of the Academy proving that they appreciate extremely well-made and also extremely satirical films that are as relevant as they are entertaining.
However, the movie’s biggest competition for the night’s top dog position is easily “Sinners,” which has already placed itself in Oscars history as the most nominated film of all time with 16 nominations. “Black Panther” and “Creed” director Ryan Coogler turned what could have been a simple vampire horror flick into a deeply impactful, provocative, socially and culturally relevant, and musically beautiful film about the power of music across races, cultures, and time.
As my favorite film of 2025 and one of my favorite movies of the decade, I would love for it to sweep all 16 of its nominations, as I genuinely feel they thrive in every single aspect of filmmaking, but realistically, they will likely go home with Best Original Score (Ludwig Göransson), Best Original Screenplay (Ryan Coogler), Best Casting (Francine Maisler), and one other technical award. Either way, the success of this film all awards season and the popularity and love it has received from the public is a massive win for original storytelling, the entire horror genre, and African-American cinema.
The last film I want to discuss may not walk out with several wins, but it is another important example of the overlap between general popularity and critical success: “Marty Supreme.” If you were to tell me a year ago that an A24 movie about Timothée Chalamet playing a whiny and arrogant 1950s ping pong player would go on to become the headliner of Christmas Day, the most successful marketing scheme of the year by far, A24’s highest grossing film to date, and a movie that people like my sister (someone who almost never watches movies) actively wanted to watch, I would have called you delusional.
The only Oscar that Josh Safdie’s intense and hilarious crime thriller is truly expected to receive is Best Actor for Chalamet, yet once again, the mere fact that this movie was received so well by general audiences and picked up nine nominations proves that the Academy is far more aware of what people want to see represented at the award show. Personally though, I will still be more than happy if the only win for the film is Chalamet picking up his first Oscar at just 30 years old, because that moment will culminate the controversial yet incredibly powerful journey of Chalamet telling and showing the world that he is “in pursuit of greatness” (2025 SAG Awards).
For the other major categories, I expect Best Supporting Actor to go to Stellan Skarsgård for “Sentimental Value,” Jessie Buckley to grab Best Actress for her emotionally devastating performance in “Hamnet,” Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song to be handed to “K-Pop Demon Hunters” and its mega-hit “Golden” respectively in a unanimous decision. I also predict Best International Feature to travel to Brazil for “The Secret Agent,” and several of the technical awards to go to “Frankenstein” (Production Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Costume Design), “F1” (Best Sound and Best Editing), and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” (Best Visual Effects).
However, whatever happens on March 15 at 7:00 PM EST on ABC and Hulu, this slate of nominations is already proving just how far the Academy has come in recent years, as they are finally learning how to bridge the gap between recognizing critical darlings and culturally resonating films. Potentially, this also could be a sign that Hollywood is finally returning to form, both in the audience and behind the camera; original and creative ideas from unbelievably talented filmmakers are being made and are being recognized as much as they deserve to be.
