Sinners Leads 98th Oscars With Record 16 Nominations
Ryan Coogler's supernatural thriller Sinners enters the 98th Academy Awards as the most-nominated film in Oscar history, with 16 nods surpassing Titanic and La La Land, as ABC kicks off pre-show coverage ahead of the March 15 ceremony hosted by Conan O'Brien.
A Historic Night in the Making
Hollywood is counting down to Sunday, March 15, when the 98th Academy Awards take over the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. With Conan O'Brien returning as host for a second consecutive year, ABC launched special pre-ceremony coverage on Tuesday — including a wide-ranging interview with O'Brien — setting the stage for what promises to be one of the most competitive Oscar nights in decades.
Sinners Shatters the Record Books
The undisputed story of this awards season is Sinners, Ryan Coogler's supernatural horror-thriller set against the backdrop of 1930s Mississippi. The film enters Sunday's ceremony with a staggering 16 nominations, breaking the all-time record previously shared by All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997), and La La Land (2016), each of which earned 14.
According to NBC News, Sinners is only the second film in history — after Titanic — to receive nominations in every technical category while also landing an original song nod. Its 16 nominations span Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan (who plays twin brothers), Supporting Actress for Wunmi Mosaku, Supporting Actor for Delroy Lindo, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Film Editing, Sound, Visual Effects, Original Score, and more.
Coogler himself made history as only the second Black filmmaker nominated in the same year for producing, directing, and original screenplay — following Jordan Peele's landmark triple recognition for Get Out in 2017, as Variety reported.
The Competition: PTA and Del Toro
Close behind Sinners is Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another, which earned 13 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and acting nods for Leonardo DiCaprio (Best Actor), Teyana Taylor, Benicio Del Toro, and Sean Penn. Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein rounds out the top three contenders with 9 nominations, though del Toro himself was not nominated for directing.
Best Actor: A Two-Horse Race
The most hotly contested category heading into Sunday is Best Actor. Michael B. Jordan, who won the SAG Award for his dual performance in Sinners, faces a formidable field that includes Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme), Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), and Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent) — the first Brazilian actor ever nominated in the category, per ABC News. Jordan's SAG win makes him the statistical frontrunner, but Chalamet's momentum throughout the season keeps the race open.
A New Trophy Enters the Stage
This year's ceremony also marks a milestone for the industry: the inaugural Achievement in Casting award, making it the first new permanent Oscar category introduced in 25 years. As NPR reported, the new category finally recognizes the casting directors whose decisions shape every film — a long-overdue acknowledgment that brings the total number of competitive Oscar categories to 24. Sinners is among the nominees, underscoring just how dominant Coogler's film has been across the board.
How to Watch
The 98th Academy Awards air live on ABC on Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, with simultaneous streaming on Hulu. The ceremony will be broadcast in more than 200 territories worldwide. With a record-breaking film, a debut category, and one of the tightest Best Actor races in years, this Sunday's show is shaping up to be unmissable.
