The 98th Academy Awards arrive with a rare sense of volatility. One Battle After Another has dominated the season, but Sinners — the record‑breaking 16‑nominee vampire thriller — upended expectations with a key precursor win, turning best picture into a genuine showdown. Acting races are equally unsettled, with only Jessie Buckley looking like a sure thing. Add Conan O’Brien’s return, a new casting award, and two major musical performances, and Hollywood’s biggest night is primed for surprises.
What to Know:
- One Battle After Another enters as the presumed favorite, but Sinners’ upset at the Actor Awards keeps the race alive.
- Timothée Chalamet and Michael B. Jordan are locked in a tight best actor contest; supporting actress remains a three‑way toss‑up.
- Jessie Buckley (Hamnet) has swept nearly every award for Best Actress this awards season, making her a strong contender for the award tonight.
- The best casting category debuts, with nominees including Hamnet, Marty Supreme, and Sinners.
- Only two original song nominees will perform live — “Golden” (KPop Demon Hunters) and “I Lied to You” (Sinners).
- A‑list lineup includes Adrien Brody, Mikey Madison, Zoe Saldaña, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Pedro Pascal, Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Evans, and more.
- Sinners leads with 16 nods; One Battle After Another follows with 13; Frankenstein, Train Dreams and Sentimental Value each have nine.
- Gold Derby still favors One Battle After Another for best picture; Jordan has momentum in best actor; Buckley remains the strongest acting lock.
- Supporting categories could deliver the night’s biggest shocks, with Stellan Skarsgård, Sean Penn, Amy Madigan, Teyana Taylor and Wunmi Mosaku all in contention.
- The official preshow at 6:30 p.m. ET on ABC and Hulu; E!’s carpet show begins at 4 p.m. ET.
- Conan O’Brien is returning to host the Oscars, which begin 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT at the Dolby Theatre. Airs on ABC; streaming via the ABC app, abc.com (with cable login), Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV and FuboTV. Also streaming live on Hulu for cord-cutters.
Stay with Newsweek as we bring you live updates, red carpet moments and every surprise from inside the Dolby Theatre.
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