'Sinners' sinks its teeth into Oscars history

Vampire epic smashes Academy record with unprecedented nominations sweep

LOS ANGELES:

Vampire period thriller 'Sinners' has redrawn the Oscars map, storming into awards season history with a record-breaking 16 Academy Award nominations that stunned Hollywood and signalled a dramatic shift in the balance of creative power ahead of March's ceremony.

The segregation-era drama, starring Michael B Jordan and directed by Ryan Coogler, not only leads this year's field but has surpassed a nominations benchmark that had endured for decades, cementing its place as one of the most dominant Oscar contenders ever.

Set in the racially divided American South of the 1930s, 'Sinners' blends supernatural horror with blues-inflected social realism, an audacious mix that resonated strongly with voters across acting, directing, writing and technical branches of the Academy.

The film eclipsed the long-standing record of 14 nominations jointly held by 'All About Eve', 'Titanic' and 'La La Land', titles that defined earlier Oscar eras and whose supremacy appeared untouchable despite the Academy's expanding membership.

Jordan secured a best actor nomination for his dual role as twin brothers who establish a juke joint in Mississippi while confronting both violent racism and dark supernatural forces lurking beneath the surface of their community.

The Warner Bros production also landed nominations for best picture, best director for Coogler, supporting actor for Delroy Lindo, supporting actress for Wunmi Mosaku, along with nods for cinematography, costume design, original screenplay and visual effects.

Adding to its historic tally, 'Sinners' was nominated for best casting, a newly created category that marks the first expansion of the Oscars in more than two decades, underscoring the Academy's effort to modernise its recognition framework.

The scale of the achievement positions 'Sinners' as the clear numerical frontrunner heading into the March 15 ceremony, where winners will be chosen by roughly 10,000 actors, producers, directors and film craftspeople across the Academy.

Its closest rival, 'One Battle After Another', collected 13 nominations, including best picture, best director for Paul Thomas Anderson and best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, reinforcing expectations of a fierce two-horse race at the top.

However, the absence of a best actress nomination for 'One Battle After Another' lead Chase Infiniti, a 25-year-old newcomer, emerged as one of the morning's most talked-about snubs, fuelling debate over risk-taking versus familiarity among voters.

Other films joining the best picture lineup include 'Bugonia', 'F1', 'The Secret Agent', 'Sentimental Value' and 'Train Dreams', reflecting a slate that blends studio muscle, international voices and idiosyncratic storytelling.

Guillermo del Toro's monster epic 'Frankenstein', Timothée Chalamet's stylised sports drama 'Marty Supreme' and Norwegian arthouse favourite 'Sentimental Value' each secured nine nominations, confirming strong cross-branch support.

'Hamnet', a period drama exploring William Shakespeare and his wife's grief following the death of their son during England's plague years, followed with eight nominations, driven largely by Jessie Buckley's acclaimed performance as Agnes.

Buckley will compete in the best actress category against Emma Stone for 'Bugonia', Renate Reinsve for 'Sentimental Value', Kate Hudson for music biopic 'Song Sung Blue', and Rose Byrne for indie favourite 'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You'.

The best actor race is equally crowded, with Jordan facing DiCaprio, Chalamet, Ethan Hawke for Broadway-era drama 'Blue Moon', and Wagner Moura for Brazilian political thriller 'The Secret Agent'.

Despite 'Sinners' leading the nominations count, industry watchers caution that 'One Battle After Another' remains the perceived favourite for best picture, having dominated nearly every major precursor award this season.

The film, centred on a retired revolutionary searching for his teenage daughter amid extremist violence, immigration raids and white supremacist threats, also broke the Screen Actors Guild record for nominations, bolstering its momentum.

Beyond artistic rivalry, this year's Oscars unfold against a backdrop of corporate upheaval, with Warner Bros Discovery - home to both 'Sinners' and 'One Battle After Another' - currently the subject of a bidding war involving Netflix and Paramount Skydance.

Warner Bros Discovery led all studios with 30 nominations, consolidating its creative dominance at a moment when Hollywood's traditional power structures face disruption from streaming giants and consolidation pressures.

Netflix, despite repeated Oscar recognition, has yet to claim a best picture win, falling short previously with titles including 'Roma', 'Emilia Perez' and 'The Irishman', a gap it hopes to close with 'Frankenstein'.

The streaming platform earned nine nominations for the film, continuing its strategy of limited theatrical releases designed to qualify projects for awards while prioritising digital distribution over traditional box-office runs.

International influence was also evident, as 'Sentimental Value' and 'The Secret Agent' secured best picture nominations, reflecting the growing weight of overseas voters within the Academy's rapidly expanding global membership.

Persian-language Palme d'Or winner 'It Was Just An Accident' missed the best picture cut but will compete for best international feature alongside Spain's 'Sirat' and Palestinian docudrama 'The Voice of Hind Rajab'.

Pop star Ariana Grande was among the morning's high-profile omissions, failing to land a supporting actress nomination for her role as Glinda in 'Wicked: For Good', which exited the nominations without a single nod.

The announcement ceremony in Los Angeles was opened by newly appointed Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor, who warned of the growing influence of artificial intelligence on filmmaking and creative authorship.

"We live in a time of limitless technology that enables us to push the boundaries of our cinematic experience," she said. "And our profound belief is that the heartbeat of film is and will always remain unmistakably human." The 98th Academy Awards will be broadcast live by Walt Disney's ABC, with comedian Conan O'Brien returning as host for the second consecutive year, as Hollywood braces for a ceremony shaped by history, rivalry and transformation.