The 2026 Oscars are nonetheless over three months away from declaring any winners, however the Greatest Image race is already wrapped up. Now that each main launch of 2025 has both come out or been screened, the group of titles contending for the highest prize on the 98th Academy Awards has actually taken form thanks to numerous precursor awards.
Heading into this portion of the season, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After One other was positioned as a powerful frontrunner. The acclaimed movie nonetheless had some competitors, although, with Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Worth, Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme, and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein among the many titles vying for help.
With a lot time to go, there’s numerous time for every movie’s case to extend or lower, or for different contenders to emerge stronger than anticipated. But, different titles jockeying to turn into the Academy’s favourite seems pointless. One Battle After One other has already locked up its Greatest Image win by all accounts.
One Battle After One other Has Had Unprecedented Awards Season Success, Making It The Undisputed Alternative For Greatest Image
As soon as One Battle After One other‘s critiques got here out, it was abundantly clear that the film can be effectively represented all through awards season as critics teams and different notable precursor ceremonies named their better of the 12 months. However what it is managed to do in a brief period of time in the beginning of the season is outstanding.
Within the final three days, One Battle After One other has received Greatest Characteristic on the Gotham Awards, Greatest Movie from the New York Movie Critics Circle, and Greatest Movie from the Nationwide Board of Assessment.
Every of these wins is notable for the Greatest Image race, traditionally talking. Six of 21 winners on the Gothams went on to win the Oscar; 14 of them received a minimum of a nomination. 22 of the NBR winners have matched the Academy’s vote out of 93 instances. NYFCC has lined up with the Greatest Image winner 32 instances since 1935.
The tally for matching winners with the Oscars is six for Gothams and three apiece for NBR and NYFCC since 2004 (when the Gothams began doing Greatest Characteristic). The Gothams have the very best monitor document general, with NBR’s final match coming in 2018 with Inexperienced E book and NYFCC not aligning since 2011’s The Artist.
Due to the completely different focuses of those three teams, it’s most typical for them to unfold the love amongst a number of titles. 14 of 21 years, they’ve all named a special “Greatest Film of the Yr.” NBR and NYFCC have matched 5 instances (2007, 2010, 2012, 2019, and 2023), whereas Gotham and NYFCC have solely matched twice (2004 and 2009). The Gothams and NBR have by no means aligned as they’ve this 12 months.
This has made One Battle After One other the primary movie to win the equal of Greatest Image at Gotham, NBR, and NYFCC. It is moved into an unprecedented degree of awards season success that simply solidifies it as the Oscars frontrunner.
A “loss” at both of those three locations was considerably anticipated. Fairly than Hamnet, Marty Supreme, Sinners, or one other film having the ability to plant its flag as a legit menace to One Battle After One other, it is shored up its standing within the race and weakened all its rivals within the course of.
It definitely seems that we’re heading towards a sweep for One Battle After One other all through awards season, culminating with a Greatest Image win on the 2026 Oscars. If it does not end the race on prime after this begin, it’s going to be one of many largest surprises within the 98 years of the Academy Awards.
8/10
- Location
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Los Angeles, CA
- Dates
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March 15, 2026
- Web site
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https://www.oscars.org/