Many Hollywood stars awoke to the news they’ve received Oscar nominations, but there are a fair few who won’t be cracking open the champagne after being snubbed by the Academy.
On Thursday (22 January), the 2026 Academy Award nominees were announced, and it’s a strong crop, helped by Ryan Coogler’s vampire film Sinners, which was recognised in a record-breaking 16 categories. This means the film has surpassed the previous record of 14 held by heavyweights All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997) and La La Land (2016).
There may have been a lack of surprise surrounding some of the big hitters, such as Paul Thomas Anderson’s caper One Battle After Another with 13 nods and Chloé Zhao’s weepie Hamnet – but the list wasn’t entirely without controversy.
Some of the year’s biggest films missed out on key nominations – but there were also plenty of lovely inclusions. The Independent has run through the most striking snubs and surprises from the 2026 nominations, including one Best Picture nominee that’s left many scratching their heads. Find out which in the video below
With less than two months to go until the Oscars ceremony takes place, there’s still everything to play for, with some of the biggest categories still wide open. But strongly suspected to win are Jessie Buckley for her highly emotional role in Hamnet and Timothée Chalamet for his breathless turn in Marty Supreme.
As well as Sinners, Chalamet has also matched an Oscars record, becoming the youngest actor since Marlon Brando to receive three Best Actor nods.
Both actors were 30 when they reached the milestone; Chalamet previously starred in Call Me By Your Name and A Complete Unknown, while Brando got his nominations for A Streetcar Named Desire, Viva Zapata! and Julius Caesar.
The 98th Academy Awards will take place on 15 March, hosted by Conan O’Brien. They will air in the UK on ITV.
