Netflix has turned itself right into a perennial Oscars powerhouse over the past a number of years. However, they’re nonetheless chasing their first Finest Image victory after Emilia Pérez‘s controversies derailed its frontrunner standing, leaving the streamer 0-10 with nominations within the class.
Because of a mix of authentic productions and acquisitions from movie festivals, Netflix has a number of films vying for Oscars rivalry in 2026. KPop Demon Hunters‘ recognition ought to propel it to a number of nominations, and certain a minimum of one win. Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Lifeless Man additionally hopes to contend within the screenplay class, and probably extra.
However new movies from Kathryn Bigelow, Guillermo del Toro, Noah Baumbach, and Clint Bentley have been considered as awards contenders for months. That places Netflix in a troublesome spot because the FYC portion of campaigning begins to warmth up, as they want to determine which film to place nearly all of its consideration and cash behind.
Netflix Has Too Many Finest Image Contenders To Assist Them All
As soon as Netflix acquired Practice Desires out of Sundance in the beginning of 2025, the rave response and involvement of main stars — Joel Egerton, Oscar-nominee Felicity Jones, and Oscar-winner William H. Macy — in addition to a script from Oscar-nominee Greg Kwedar (Sing Sing) made it appear like an early contender.
However, it was added to a slate on paper that was already fairly spectacular. A Home of Dynamite, Jay Kelly, and Frankenstein had historic causes to suppose they’d be main Oscar contenders. Then there’s Wake Up Lifeless Man, Nouvelle Imprecise, and Ballad of a Small Participant that had hopes of recognition too.
As the autumn competition circuit took form, Ballad of a Small Participant faltered, whereas Nouvelle Imprecise was well-received however did not ignite Oscar talks. Wake Up Lifeless Man could earn some love, however it’s a protracted shot to get within the Finest Image combine, it appears. That has left Netflix with A Home of Dynamite, Frankenstein, Jay Kelly, and Practice Desires.
|
Film |
Rotten Tomatoes Rating |
Metacritic Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
A Home of Dynamite |
79% Critics |
75 |
|
Frankenstein |
86% Critics |
78 |
|
Jay Kelly |
79% Critics |
62 |
|
Practice Desires |
98% Critics |
85 |
A Home of Dynamite and Jay Kelly appeared to solidify their locations after they premiered at Venice. A lot in order that I believed they have been Netflix’s greatest bets for a Finest Image nomination, which is why I put them each in my Oscars 2026 Finest Image predictions.
In the meantime, Frankenstein, which additionally premiered at Venice, had a colder launch, creating some hesitancy about its true contender standing. As an alternative of being left for lifeless, although, its marketing campaign was revived at TIFF by being the runner-up of the Individuals’s Selection Award. The appreciation for it has continued to develop forward of its Netflix launch on November 7.
Because of this, Netflix’s leaderboard retains altering. A Home of Dynamite is now not considered a shoo-in for a lot of nominations, weakening its Finest Image rivalry standing. An argument might even be made that Bigelow’s film needs to be fourth by way of Netflix’s priorities. On the very least, Frankenstein has moved forward of it.
It will be attention-grabbing to see how Practice Desires and Jay Kelly‘s full releases shake this up additional. The previous is extra beloved and matches the Oscar mildew, however the latter is the larger title with extra recognizable names: Baumbach, George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, and so on.
Whereas Netflix operating campaigns for all 4 films is sensible given the high-profile expertise connected to every, all of them cannot be contenders. The streamer must consolidate its focus and marketing campaign cash to extra totally again two, or perhaps three, titles. With A Home of Dynamite shedding some steam, that call might be a bit simpler.
Netflix backing Jay Kelly and Frankenstein primarily could convey them essentially the most nominations and maintain large names comfortable. However the possibilities of both profitable Finest Image are unlikely. Maybe they need to actually prioritize Practice Desires and hope the emotional drama actually catches on with Oscars voters.
ScreenRant‘s further Oscars predictions:
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/