Sinners Receives 16 Oscar Nominations – A New Record!

Sinners this year has done something that the likes of major films such as Lord of the Rings, Titanic, or even La La Land weren’t able to accomplish… 16 Oscar Nominations! Meaning that Sinners was nominated for every category the film was eligible for.

Beyond that, the cultural impact is still being felt by millions of filmgoers worldwide.

Today, the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were announced. To no surprise, One Battle After Another received 13 noms, with Marty Supreme, Frankenstein, and Sentimental Value each receiving nine.

But it is the fact that Ryan Coogler’s Sinners has been nominated for 16 Oscars that has surprised me and many others this morning.

The vampire/gangster movie, dealing with Jim Crow Laws in the South during the Depression Era, driven by music and violence, and had a mostly African American cast and crew, was something many of us thought Academy voters would overlook… again.

In the past, The Academy has been hesitant to recognize movies featuring genre-based storytelling, with the outcry over The Dark Knight snub playing a role in The Academy’s decision to raise the Best Picture nominations from 5 movies to 10 in 2009. However, even since then, it’s been tough for genre movies to make it on the list.

The Academy also has had a track record of snubbing huge blockbusters, deciding to acknowledge indie-fare instead.

So, even though Sinners was a well-made movie, many thought it might be ignored due to its performance at the box office, which went on to gross around $368 million worldwide on a reported $80 million budget.

That’s why Sinners getting 16 noms was a pleasant surprise for fans!

I loved the film. From the story, the way it was shot, and the performances, everything was amazing. It was my #1 movie of 2025, and I have rewatched it several times since its release. I wondered, after its run in the theaters (which began in April), if people would still be talking about the film when award season arrived.

The day I realized that Sinners had become more than just a film and a cultural event was during MCM London Comic Convention, where dozens of cosplayers got together to reenact the dance scene after Remmick had turned most of the people outside the juke joint. As people circled to dance, it became apparent that this film meant more than I thought.

Here is the full list of nominations for Sinners

• Best Picture
• Best Actor – Michael B Jordan
• Best Supporting Actor – Delroy Lindo
• Best Supporting Actress – Wunmi Mosaku
• Best Director – Ryan Coogler
• Best Original Screenplay – Ryan Coogler
• Best cinematography – Autumn Durald Arkapaw
• Best Costume Design – Ruth E Carter
• Best Editing – Michael P. Shawver
• Best Hair and Makeup
• Best Original Score – Ludwig Goransson
• Best Original Song – I Lied to You
• Best Production Design
• Best Sound
• Best Visual Effects
• Best Casting

Although 16 nominations are amazing, I don’t believe Sinners will win all the categories. Here are the ones I feel have the best chance.

Delroy Lindo for Best Supporting Actor. Watch the scene of him telling the story while they drive to the juke joint. He’d better win!

Ryan Coogler for Best Original Screenplay. This story had so much more depth than being a vampire movie. For that alone, it should win.

Also, Ryan Coogler for Best Director. This man has brought us some amazing stories to the screen. It is time to give him his flowers… in the form of a Gold Statue. If you have seen the behind-the-scenes features, you can see how he used camera movement and aspect ratio to change the feel of the film without you knowing it. The scene at the juke joint when all the music across time comes together is a masterclass in filmmaking.

Ludwig Goransson for Best Score. When he won the Golden Globe a few weeks back, it made him the frontrunner for the Oscar. The music is the backbone of this film. He should win another Oscar.

As much as I want Michael B Jordan to win Best Actor, I don’t see it in the cards. Timothée Chalamet seems to be the frontrunner in everyone’s Oscar predictions. I have not seen Marty Supreme yet, but everyone says he is great in it. However, what Michael did in Sinners, playing two uniquely different characters and then playing one character in two completely different ways, will be something that is studied for years to come and should be recognized with a statue.

I want “I Lied to You” to win Best Original Song, but if we are being honest, “Golden” from K-Pop Demon Hunters is going to win and probably should. (You are singing it in your head right now, aren’t you?)

The rest of the categories are really toss-ups. I hope Sinners takes all of them; it would restore some faith in The Academy if they won the evening. I’m expecting One Battle After Another and Marty Supreme to be the big winners. They both feel like movies that The Academy has loved in the past. Let’s hope they have learned their lesson.

You can now stream Sinners on HBO Max.

The 98th Academy Awards will air on ABC on March 15, 2026.

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