The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has just released the nominations for the 98th Oscars, revealing which films will be in contention for what is arguably the biggest awards show of the year. Speculation runs rampant every year leading up to the Academy Awards, as the Oscars Race is heavily analyzed through other awards shows, specific film release dates, and more. Now that the nominations are finally here, most of them are somewhat unsurprising, especially with how specific films captured the cultural zeitgeist at the time of their release.
Movies like Sinners, One Battle After Another, and Marty Supreme all got the nominations most were expecting. Featuring powerhouse performances, incredible production design, and overall technical marvels, these were the ones considered safe bets. However, like every awards season before it, there are conversations about snubs, as well as unexpected nominations that are surprising but welcome. In honor of the batch of nominees for the 2026 Oscars, here are the 11 biggest Oscar snubs and surprises. While there were plenty of nominees that make sense, there are some that came out of left field. There are also certain performances and productions that feel either overlooked or completely omitted, deserving of some recognition for their accomplishments in 2025.
12
Snubbed: Chase Infiniti, ‘One Battle After Another’
The stacked list of nominees in the Lead Actress category makes this omission all the more astounding. One Battle After Another trails Sinners 16 nominations with 13 in total, being seen in nearly every category except for Best Leading Actress. The rest of the cast is highlighted, with representatives in every acting category except for leading. Infiniti’s performance as Willa Ferguson was the primary point of conversation surrounding the film leading up to release, with early screenings and eventual wide release reception praising her acting as the heart of the film that not only drove the narrative of Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest, but also elevated everyone else around her.
The film is also Infiniti’s big-screen debut, which makes her performance that much more impressive, especially when considering that she was able to dominate scenes she shared with talent like Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn. It’s sad that she won’t get the recognition she deserves on one of the biggest stages of the award season, but hopefully her talent will speak for itself in future roles moving forward.
11
Surprise: Kate Hudson, ‘Song Sung Blue’
On the other end of the spectrum was a surprising Oscar nomination for Kate Hudson’s performance in Song Sung Blue. The movie tells the story of Neil Diamond interpreters who go by the stage names Lightning and Thunder, cover artists who have a genuine love for performing. What’s so surprising about this nomination is not that Hudson’s performance was derivative or poor, but that the nomination comes during a year when the lead actress race feels as tight as it’s ever been. The film itself also had a less-than-interesting way of being marketed, with trailers depicting the movie as a standard biopic that didn’t really stand out.
Interestingly, those who have seen the film would know that Hudson’s character, in particular, has a tragic character arc that allows the actress to shine through in an unexpected and surprising way. There’s a vulnerability to the way that Hudson brings Claire Sardina (Thunder), a dynamic character that feels like a dark horse in the race, making for a surprising and welcome nomination.
10
Snubbed: Park Chan-wook’s ‘No Other Choice’
While news about Park Chan-wook being expelled from the Writers Guild of America due to his work during the writer’s strike dominated the early conversations about the filmmaker before the release of his next film, it’s still unfortunate to see that No Other Choice received zero nominations for this year’s Academy Awards. Distributed by NEON, the drama/thriller film is a masterclass in filmmaking all across the board, telling the story of a salaryman who is willing to do whatever it takes to beat out the competition when he loses his job and is in the running for a position at a different company.
With stunning cinematography, editing, and subtle yet profound performances from its cast, the movie felt like a sure-thing in at least the international film category. Sadly, that wouldn’t be the case, as No Other Choice is completely absent from the list of nominees. Moreover, the movie’s timely themes of class struggles and the facade of control in a capitalist society also made it a film that could have started interesting conversations had it been nominated.
9
Surprise: Kleber Mendonça Filho’s ‘The Secret Agent’
While No Other Choice is an international feature whose heartbreaking snub will be felt, it’s The Secret Agent’s four nominations, with two in surprising categories, that help balance it all out. The political thriller made it not just onto the Best International Feature list, but also is a Best Picture nomination, standing out among the heavy hitters that are dominating all the other categories. Rooted in Brazilian history and political turmoil, it’s the kind of film that absolutely needs to be recognized today.
Wagner Moura’s Leading Actor nomination also makes the competition intense in that category, and the unexpected Casting nomination also speaks to the powerful cultural specificity of the film, especially in its use of non-actors to bring an authenticity to the awards circuit that feels like the perfect intersection of mainstream awards attention and arthouse recognition.
8
Snubbed: ‘Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc’
The animated film category is arguably often the most predictable category in the Oscars race, which is usually due to how the medium of animation is often overlooked. However, there were certain animated projects released this year whose cultural relevance couldn’t be ignored. Films like K-Pop Demon Hunters were unsurprisingly recognized thanks to just the sheer volume of conversation surrounding the impeccably made film. However, one movie that was also just as popular and well-made seems to have been completely ignored: The Chainsaw Man movie.
The box office numbers and its place as the highest-rated film on Letterboxd for 2025 speak for themselves. The Chainsaw Man movie features stunning animation and a melancholic story about love that makes it a rare shōnen anime film that can exist independently of the series it is a continuation of. Striking a very careful balance of over-the-top spectacle with raw human emotions. With a unique visual language thanks to Studio MAPPA’s intense attention to detail, it’s a triumph of animation that should have been recognized.
7
Surprise: Amy Madigan for ‘Weapons’
Horror is a genre that hadn’t felt fully recognized at the Academy Awards until this year. Sinners’ record-breaking 16 nominations can attest to that. However, there was another major win for the genre in the Supporting Actress category, with Amy Madigan being recognized for her work in Zach Cregger’s summer horror hit Weapons. Her performance as the enigmatic and unsettling Aunt Gladys is what really solidifies the movie as a standout in its genre. What is even more impressive is how much Madigan manages to do with what little screentime she’s given for the majority of Weapons.
Madigan’s nomination is another happy surprise that speaks to the continuing trend of genres unrecognized by the Academy now finally getting the spotlight they deserve. In a category that’s long been defined by performances that are heartfelt, dramatic, or emotionally resonant, this nomination reminds viewers that subtle and terrifying performances can be just as impactful.
6
Snubbed: Paul Mescal in ‘Hamnet’
This particular performance serves as a hybrid of both a surprise and a snub, given that many had expected Mescal to be in the running just due to the sheer volume of conversation surrounding Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet as one of the top contenders during this awards season. Mescal’s portrayal of devastating grief serves as a stark opposite to some of the other performances from lead actors who were nominated, showcasing a degree of subtlety that wasn’t seen from the likes of Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme or DiCaprio in One Battle After Another.
Mescal’s snub for his work on Hamnet feels like a real missed opportunity to highlight an actor who is arguably at the peak of his powers. Zhao’s whole film hinges on the vulnerability of its cast, with an emotional weight that works in large part thanks to Mescal and Jessie Buckley. Sadly, only one of these two was nominated.
5
Snubbed: Joel Edgerton, ‘Train Dreams’
In the same realm of Paul Mescal’s snub, Edgerton’s work in Train Dreams feels like a criminal omission from what is otherwise a solid list of nominees. With Train Dreams, Edgerton offers a rare combination of physicality with a subtle, introspective method of acting that comes across as authentic and moving. Anchored in realism, Edgerton’s lack of a nomination reinforces what was previously said about Mescal’s Oscar snub.
What makes it even more frustrating is the fact that Train Dreams was nominated for Best Picture, which shows that the academy does have an understanding of how special the film is, but doesn’t seem to realize how much Edgerton’s acting in the movie helps to make that vision fully realized. This year’s nominees seem to reflect more of a bias towards louder performances versus the quieter realism Edgerton brought to his role.
4
Surprise & Snub: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, ‘Wicked: For Good’
Another surprise/snub hybrid entry is the performances of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked: For Good. The first Wicked film received 10 Oscar nominations, including Erivo and Grande for Leading and Supporting, respectively. However, the sequel is surprisingly absent from the nominees this year, receiving zero recognition. It’s hard to say whether this was necessarily a snub, given that the same production team received plenty of praise and awards for their first film, released in 2024. Jon M. Chu’s highly anticipated sequel failed to make the same impact a year later.
The buzz and cultural impact of the first movie is what makes the complete lack of nominations so surprising. Wicked: For Good received more mixed reviews compared to Wicked, with most of the complaints stemming from the original songs added to the film to help complete the story. What’s most perplexing about this is that Ervio and Grande’s performances, which don’t change for the worse between films, are not recognized at all this time around.
3
Snubbed: Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, ‘The Smashing Machine’
Josh Safdie’s solo directorial debut, Marty Supreme, has dominated the awards conversation, leading to a lack of recognition for his brother Benny Safdie’s powerful work in The Smashing Machine. Telling the true story of Mark Kerr, the biopic makes great use of its leads, Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, to paint an unflinching portrait of a co-dependent couple amidst Kerr’s ambition to be the best in his still-developing sport. Safdie’s work with Johnson is the real highlight of the film, bringing out a side of the blockbuster actor that had never been seen before.
Johnson’s commitment to the role and Safdie’s work with him and Blunt feel sorely overlooked this awards season, and is yet another example of an introspective and subdued performance being overlooked in favor of something more grandiose.
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