Horror Film Sinners Shatters Academy Awards Record with 16 Nominations
Ryan Coogler's horror masterpiece makes Academy Awards history while the ceremony introduces its first new category since the early 2000s. The complete nominations list reveals surprising frontrunners and major snubs.
Ryan Coogler's horror film Sinners has made Academy Awards history by securing 16 nominations for the 2026 ceremony. The achievement breaks the all-time record for most nominations received by a single film in Oscar history.
The nominations announcement also marks a milestone for the Academy itself. For the first time in more than 20 years, a new category joins the competition: Best Casting. This addition represents the most significant expansion of Oscar categories since the early 2000s.
Top Contenders and Major Categories
One Battle After Another follows Sinners with 13 nominations, while both Frankenstein and Sentimental Value earned nine nods each. Hamnet rounds out the top contenders with eight nominations.
The Best Picture race features ten films: Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams.
Five directors compete for the top directing honor. Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another), Ryan Coogler (Sinners), Josh Safdie (Marty Supreme), Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value), and Chloé Zhao (Hamnet) make up the category.
Acting Categories Showcase Star Power
The Best Actor lineup includes Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, Michael B. Jordan for Sinners, and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent.
Best Actress nominees are Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I'd Kick You), Kate Hudson (Song Sung Blue), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value), and Emma Stone (Bugonia).
Supporting categories feature Benicio del Toro, Jacob Elordi, Delroy Lindo, Sean Penn, and Stellan Skarsgård for Best Supporting Actor. The Supporting Actress race includes Elle Fanning, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Amy Madigan, Wunmi Mosaku, and Teyana Taylor.
Writing and Technical Categories
Original Screenplay nominees include Blue Moon, It Was Just an Accident, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, and Sinners. The Adapted Screenplay category features Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, One Battle After Another, and Train Dreams.
The new Best Casting category recognizes Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, and Sinners.
Additional categories covering Animated Feature, Production Design, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound, Visual Effects, Original Score, Original Song, Documentary Feature, International Feature, and various short film categories complete the nominations slate.
The 2026 Academy Awards ceremony takes place Sunday, March 15.