We’ve officially hit the midpoint of 2025, and the team at Next Best Picture has compiled a list of what we believe should be the Oscar winners if the Academy Awards were held today. This isn’t a set of predictions, but rather our own internally voted choices. These are the films and performances we’d most like to see honored if the Oscars only considered movies released in the first half of the year. Check out our selections below, and we’d love to hear your thoughts. Which contenders from the first half of 2025 do you think deserve Oscar nominations?
BEST PICTURE
28 Years Later
Black Bag (RUNNER-UP)
The Life Of Chuck
Materialists
Mickey 17
Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning
The Phoenician Scheme
Sinners (WINNER)
Sorry, Baby
Warfare
BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle – 28 Years Later
Ryan Coogler – Sinners (WINNER)
Steven Soderbergh – Black Bag (RUNNER-UP)
Steven Soderbergh – Presence
Celine Song – Materialists
BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett – Black Bag (RUNNER-UP)
Sally Hawkins – Bring Her Back
Dakota Johnson – Materialists
Florence Pugh – Thunderbolts*
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby (WINNER)
BEST ACTOR
Benicio del Toro – The Phoenician Scheme
Michael Fassbender – Black Bag
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners (WINNER)
Robert Pattinson – Mickey 17 (RUNNER-UP)
Alfie Williams – 28 Years Later
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jodie Comer – 28 Years Later (RUNNER-UP)
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners(WINNER)
Hailee Steinfeld – Sinners
Youn Yuh-Jung – The Wedding Banquet
Zoe Winters – Materialists
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Michael Cera – The Phoenician Scheme (RUNNER-UP)
Chris Evans – Materialists
Tim Key – The Ballad of Wallis Island
Delroy Lindo – Sinners (WINNER)
Jack O’Connell – Sinners
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
28 Years Later
The Ballad of Wallis Island
The Life Of Chuck (WINNER)
Mickey 17
The Wedding Banquet (RUNNER-UP)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Black Bag (RUNNER-UP)
Materialists
The Phoenician Scheme
Sinners (WINNER)
Sorry, Baby
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Colors Within
Dog Man
Elio (WINNER)
Ne Zha 2 (RUNNER-UP)
Predator: Killer of Killers
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Afternoons of Solitude
Bono: Stories of Surrender
Deaf President Now! (WINNER)
Titan: The OceanGate Disaster (RUNNER-UP)
Wick is Pain
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
April (RUNNER-UP)
Caught By the Tides
Misericordia
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (WINNER)
The Ugly Stepsister
BEST CASTING
Black Bag (RUNNER-UP)
Materialists
Sinners (WINNER)
The Life Of Chuck
The Phoenician Scheme
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
28 Years Later (RUNNER-UP)
Black Bag
Presence
Sinners (WINNER)
The Phoenician Scheme
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Another Simple Favor
Black Bag
Mickey 17
Sinners (WINNER)
The Phoenician Scheme (RUNNER-UP)
BEST FILM EDITING
28 Years Later
Black Bag (RUNNER-UP)
F1
Sinners (WINNER)
Warfare
BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
28 Years Later (RUNNER-UP)
Bring Her Back
Mickey 17
Sinners (WINNER)
The Phoenician Scheme
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
28 Years Later
The Legend of Ochi
Mickey 17
Sinners (WINNER)
The Phoenician Scheme (RUNNER-UP)
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Black Bag
F1
Sinners (WINNER)
The Life Of Chuck (RUNNER-UP)
The Phoenician Scheme
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Lowly” – 28 Years Later
“Give Your Love” – The Ballad of Wallis Island
“My Baby (Got Nothing At All)” – Materialists
“I Lied To You” – Sinners (WINNER)
“Pale, Pale Moon” – Sinners (RUNNER-UP)
BEST SOUND
28 Years Later
F1
Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Sinners (RUNNER-UP)
Warfare (WINNER)
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
28 Years Later
Mickey 17
Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning (WINNER)
Sinners (RUNNER-UP)
Thunderbolts*
WIN TALLY
Sinners – 14
Deaf President Now! – 1
Elio – 1
The Life Of Chuck – 1
Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning – 1
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl – 1
Sorry, Baby – 1
Warfare – 1
NOMINATION TALLY
Sinners – 19
28 Years Later – 12
Black Bag – 10
The Phoenician Scheme – 10
Materialists – 8
Mickey 17 – 7
The Life Of Chuck – 4
The Ballad of Wallis Island – 3
F1 – 3
Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning – 3
Sorry, Baby – 3
Warfare – 3
Bring Her Back – 2
Presence – 2
Thunderbolts* – 2
The Wedding Banquet – 2
Afternoons of Solitude – 1
Another Simple Favor – 1
April – 1
Bono: Stories of Surrender – 1
Caught By the Tides – 1
The Colors Within – 1
Dog Man – 1
Elio – 1
The Legend of Ochi – 1
Misericordia – 1
Ne Zha 2 – 1
On Becoming a Guinea Fowl – 1
Predator: Killer of Killers – 1
Deaf President Now! – 1
Titan: The OceanGate Disaster – 1
The Ugly Stepsister – 1
Wick is Pain – 1
What do you think of the winners and nominations? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our X account and be sure to check out our first Oscar Predictions of the year, which will be up on July 1st.
