Across the first 97 Academy Award ceremonies, only three movies (“All About Eve,” “Titanic,” and “La La Land“) have garnered 14 nominations. That’s the most Oscar nominations ever procured by a single film. Expand that to motion pictures with 13 or more Oscar nominations, and you still have just 15 movies in total, two of which (“Oppenheimer” and “Emilia Pérez“) were released in the last two Oscar ceremonies.
Titanic (1997) – 11 Wins out of 14 Nominations
All About Eve (1950) – 6 Wins out of 14 Nominations
La La Land (2016) – 6 Wins out of 14 Nominations
From Here to Eternity (1953) – 8 Wins out of 13 Nominations
Gone With the Wind (1939) – 8 Wins out of 13 Nominations
Oppenheimer (2023) – 7 Wins out of 13 Nominations
Shakespeare in Love (1998) – 7 Wins out of 13 Nominations
Chicago (2002) – 6 Wins out of 13 Nominations
Forrest Gump (1994) – 6 Wins out of 13 Nominations
Mary Poppins (1964) – 5 Wins out of 13 Nominations
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) – 5 Wins out of 13 Nominations
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) – 4 Wins out of 13 Nominations
The Shape of Water (2017) – 4 Wins out of 13 Nominations
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) – 3 Wins out of 13 Nominations
Emilia Pérez (2024) – 2 Wins out of 13 Nominations
It’s a rare company among the most Oscar-nominated films in history. That trio of movies with 14 nominees, though, could get some extra company at the 98th Academy Awards. “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” each have a chance at scoring 14 nominations each…and possibly making history as the first movies ever to have 15 Oscar nominations.
“Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” don’t just have critical acclaim bolstering their Oscar hopes. The duo is also expansive, motion pictures full of spectacle that’ll ensure they get into the technical categories (Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, etc.) in addition to the central acting and screenwriting categories. Among the films with 13+ nominations, those featuring extensive visual effects wizardry (“Titanic,“ “Forrest Gump,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) and period piece razzle-dazzle (“Chicago“ and “Shakespeare in Love”) are common. “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another“ certainly qualify on both fronts.
Each feature also boasts impressive ensemble casts that could help “Sinners“ and “One Battle After Another“ bolster their respective Oscar nomination counts in the acting categories. Michael B. Jordan in “Sinners,“ for instance, looks like a shoo-in for a Best Actor nomination. Delroy Lindo, however, could also be considered for Best Supporting Actor, while Wunmi Mosaku and Hailee Steinfeld each have buzz as potential nominees for Best Supporting Actress.
“One Battle After Another,“ meanwhile, looks poised to become only the 16th film in history (and only the third since the 54th Academy Awards in 1982) to score nominations in all four acting categories. Leonardo DiCaprio and Chase Infinity are safe bets for the lead acting categories. Best Supporting Actor will likely house nominations for Sean Penn and/or Benicio del Toro. Meanwhile, Teyana Taylor is currently considered the frontrunner for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, while Regina Hall could also join her as a nominee. With (at the very least) four acting nominations assured, “One Battle After Another“ is already well on its way to double-digit Oscar nominations.
“Sinners“ and “One Battle After Another“ each seem poised to pave the road to 14 Oscar nominations by scoring nominations in similar technical categories, including Best Original Score, Best Costume Design, and Best Editing. However, if every single thing went perfectly for either or both films, they would end up with a historic 15 Oscar nominations. How would that even be possible? Simple. The 98th Academy Awards will house a Best Casting category for the first time. The first new Oscars category in decades, this domain could give “Sinners“ and “One Battle After Another“ a category to dominate in that “Titanic“ and “All About Eve“ never even conceived of.
“Sinners“ and “One Battle After Another“ each have been widely praised for their glorious ensemble casts. Even the tiniest roles in these respective productions leave an impression, from the guy Jordan’s Smoke shoots in the butt to Jim Downey’s delivery of the line “lunatics, haters, and punk trash.“ Casting directors Francine Maisler (for “Sinners“) and Cassandra Kulukundis (“One Battle After Another“) are ensured nominations for their extraordinary work on each film. In the process, they could help these 2025 critical darlings become the first movies in history to crack the 15 Oscar nomination threshold.
So, which of these two films is most likely to reach the 15-nomination realm? Currently, “One Battle After Another” appears to have the advantage, as it seems more likely to receive more acting nominations. Scoring four to six nomination slots across these four categories will go a long way to reaching 15 nominations. Additionally, “Sinners“ will need to overcome the typical disinterest Academy voters have shown for horror movies. “One Battle After Another“ occupies a cinematic realm evocative of past Oscar winners, while “Sinners“ may struggle to break into certain categories due to this ceremony’s hostility towards scary cinema.
On the other hand, “Sinners“ is likely to receive nominations in certain categories that “One Battle After Another“ is unlikely to get, which could help it gain ground against “One Battle After Another,” inevitably having more acting nominations. The Best Original Song category, in particular, could be extremely beneficial to “Sinners,“ especially if both of its submitted songs for this category secure nominations. Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, meanwhile, are two additional categories “Sinners“ could be nominated for instead of “One Battle After Another.“
It’s still early days in the 2025-2026 award season space, so it’s still not clear just how much each of these films will dominate the eventual Oscars conversation. What’s clear, though, is the significance of the mere possibility of a film setting an Oscar nomination record this year. For one thing, it reflects that the long-overdue Best Casting category is finally being introduced to the Academy Awards. For another, it’s a signal that 2025 has delivered a pair of big-screen non-sequel movies that truly resonated with audiences from all walks of life.
The craftsmanship and polish in “Sinners“ and “One Battle After Another“ permeate every aspect of these respective enterprises. They’re feature-length testaments to what happens when talented artists combine their strengths to create something bigger than themselves. The potential 15 nominations for either, or even both, of these features isn’t just an opportunity to create a new Oscar record. It’s also a chance to recognize the slew of voices that made “Sinners“ and “One Battle After Another“ possible.
“One Battle After Another” has the potential to receive up to 18 nominations and the Next Best Picture team is currently predicting it will receive 11 of them:
Best Picture (Predicted)
Best Director (Predicted)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Predicted)
Best Actor (DiCaprio) (Predicted)
Best Actress (Infiniti)
Best Supporting Actor (Del Toro and Penn) (Penn is Predicted)
Best Supporting Actress (Hall and Taylor) (Taylor is Predicted)
Best Casting (Predicted)
Best Costume Design
Best Cinematography (Predicted)
Best Film Editing (Predicted)
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Best Production Design
Best Original Score (Predicted)
Best Sound (Predicted)
Best Visual Effects
“Sinners” has the potential to receive up to 22 nominations and the Next Best Picture team is currently predicting it will receive 12 of them:
Best Picture (Predicted)
Best Director (Predicted)
Best Original Screenplay (Predicted)
Best Actor (B. Jordan)
Best Supporting Actor (Caton, Lindo & O’Connell)
Best Supporting Actress (Mosaku, Steinfeld, Lawson & Jun Li)
Best Casting (Predicted)
Best Cinematography (Predicted)
Best Costume Design (Predicted)
Best Film Editing (Predicted)
Best Makeup and Hairstyling (Predicted)
Best Production Design (Predicted)
Best Original Score (Predicted)
Best Original Songs (“I Lied To You” and “Last Time (I Seen The Sun)”) (“I Lied To You” is Predicted)
Best Sound (Predicted)
Best Visual Effects
How will this all unfold? Do you believe either “Sinners“ or “One Battle After Another“ will set a new Academy record this year for total nominations? How many do you currently have each film predicted to receive? Please let us know in the comments section below and on Next Best Picture’s X account and check out the team’s latest Oscar predictions here.
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