The 31st Critics Choice Awards delivered a clear message about the shape of this year’s Oscar race: Warner Bros. remains firmly on the offensive. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners led all films with 17 nominations, a sweeping haul that includes Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan and a wide range of craft categories spanning cinematography, production design, visual effects, sound and stunt design. The film’s ensemble also earned recognition, reflecting its broad support across the voting body’s 575 members.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another followed with 14 nominations, cementing its standing after strong showings at the Gotham Awards, the New York Film Critics Circle and the AFI Top 10. Anderson scored nods for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, while the cast saw multiple acting nominations, including Leonardo DiCaprio in Best Actor, Chase Infiniti in Best Actress, Teyana Taylor in Best Supporting Actress, and both Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn in Best Supporting Actor. The film was also nominated for editing, score, sound and stunt design.
Netflix remained a major force with 11 nominations each for Frankenstein and Hamnet, both of which landed in the Best Picture lineup alongside Focus Features’ Bugonia, Netflix’s Jay Kelly and Train Dreams, A24’s Marty Supreme, Neon’s Sentimental Value and Universal’s Wicked: For Good. In an unusual twist, Sentimental Value earned a Best Picture slot but was absent from the foreign-language field due to a new rule excluding films that appear in the top category.
International cinema saw a notable snub as Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident failed to break into Best Picture or directing races, despite its global acclaim. But its placement solely in the foreign-language category mirrors recent Critics Choice omissions that later gained Oscar traction.
This year introduces four new categories — sound, stunt design, casting and ensemble — broadening the awards’ recognition of below-the-line artistry. Returning host Chelsea Handler will lead the ceremony once again.