Hollywood’s biggest night is upon us once again, and the race for Best Picture at the 2025 Academy Awards is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in years. While some nominees were expected, a few surprises have slipped into the mix, making this an unusually varied field.

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The Academy’s decision could go in several directions. A more traditional, less divisive pick might see The Brutalist or A Complete Unknown take home the gold. If voters reward risk-taking, Anora or Emilia Pérez could win – provided the latter’s controversy doesn’t hold it back. Which, actually, it just might.

Notably, a handful of presumed heavyweights didn’t make the cut. No nominations for Gladiator II, Joker: Folie à Deux, Furiosa, Megalopolis, or Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. That leaves the field wide open for this year’s 10 nominees.

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Who are the 2025 Best Picture nominees?

A Complete Unknown

A Bob Dylan biopic with serious pedigree, A Complete Unknown comes from Searchlight Pictures, a studio that knows how to win this category. Producer Fred Berger was famously on stage when La La Land was mistakenly announced as Best Picture in 2017, only for Moonlight to take the prize instead. Could this be his redemption?

Anora

Sean Baker’s latest film, backed by indie distributor NEON, is one of the bolder choices on this list. NEON has a strong Oscar track record, having distributed Parasite, the 2019 Best Picture winner. If the Academy is feeling adventurous, Anora could follow in its footsteps.

I’m Still Here

Brazilian director Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries, Central Station) returns to the Oscars with I’m Still Here, a Sony-backed drama that has already picked up multiple nominations. Sony has pushed several major films to Oscar success in the past, but can it finally land the top prize?

Conclave

A political thriller set in the Vatican, Conclave represents Focus Features’ latest attempt at Best Picture glory. Despite 17 past nominations, the studio has never won. Given the Academy’s history with prestige dramas, this could be its year.

Dune: Part Two

Warner Bros. is no stranger to this category, having won Best Picture with classics like Casablanca and Million Dollar Baby. Dune: Part Two is the biggest blockbuster in the lineup, and while sci-fi rarely wins, Denis Villeneuve’s epic has serious momentum.

Emilia Pérez

The most-nominated foreign-language film in Oscars history, Emilia Pérez is up for 13 awards. That beats previous records set by Roma and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But Netflix, its distributor, is still chasing its elusive first Best Picture win. Will this be the film to break the streak?

The Substance

Only the seventh horror movie ever nominated for Best Picture, The Substance joins an exclusive club that includes The Exorcist, Jaws, Get Out, and Black Swan. With veteran producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner behind it, the film is an underdog – but one that shouldn’t be counted out.

Nickel Boys

Amazon MGM Studios enters the race with Nickel Boys, an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. With Plan B—the company behind 12 Years a Slave and Moonlight—as a producing partner, this one carries serious Oscar weight.

The Brutalist

A24, the indie studio that won back-to-back Best Picture awards with Moonlight and Everything Everywhere All at Once, is in the race with The Brutalist. It’s also partnered with Focus Features on this one, making it a potential compromise pick for voters.

Wicked

Universal Studios won Best Picture last year with Oppenheimer. Now, it’s hoping to follow up with Wicked, a big-budget musical produced by Marc Platt, who was previously nominated for La La Land. Musicals don’t win often, but when they do (Chicago, The Sound of Music, West Side Story), they make a big splash.

Who will win Best Picture at the Oscars 2025?

With no clear frontrunner – or so we think – this could be one of the most wide-open races in years. A big studio-backed film like Dune: Part Two or Wicked could take it, but Emilia Pérez and Anora have been making waves. The Academy’s voting trends will be key - will they play it safe or take a risk? In case you were wondering, our bet is on The Brutalist.

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