2025 Oscars Predictions in Every Category - MASHAHER

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

OSCARS | EMMYS | GRAMMYS | TONYS

Commentary (Updated July 1, 2024): The first half of the year and the Cannes Film Festival has come and gone. We now look to the future, where the fall festivals will surely drop an avalanche of awards hopefuls into the mix.

Warner Bros. brings a formidable sequel trio to the table: Denis Villeneuve’s much-anticipated “Dune Part Two,” Todd Phillips’ upcoming jukebox musical “Joker: Folie à Deux,” and Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” The latter could surprise many, from early murmurs suggesting “it’s an awards movie.” It could earn Michael Keaton a spot in the acting categories, a decade after his huge loss for “Birdman.”

There will be more to come.

The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2.

All movie listings, titles, and distributors are not final and are subject to change.

*** = PREDICTED WINNER

Best Picture

Image Credit: Neon

“Anora” (Neon)
Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan
“Blitz” (Apple Original Films) ***
Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan, Michael Schaefer
“Conclave” (Focus Features)
Alice Dawson, Robert Harris, Juliette Howell, Michael Jackman, Tessa Ross
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)
Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe, Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve
“Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
Jacques Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux, Valérie Schermann, Anthony Vacarello
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)
Lucy Fisher, David Franzoni, Michael Pruss, Ridley Scott, Douglas Wick
“Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios/Orion)
Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine
“The Piano Lesson” (Netflix)
Todd Black, Denzel Washington
“The Room Next Door” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Agustín Almodóvar
“The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation)
Jeff Hermann

Oscar category page with rankings>>>
Director

Image Credit: Nadav Kander for Variety

Pedro Almodóvar
“The Room Next Door” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Sean Baker
“Anora” (Neon)
Steve McQueen
“Blitz” (Apple Original Films)
RaMell Ross
“Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM/Orion)
Ridley Scott ***
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Actor

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

Daniel Craig
“Queer” (No U.S. Distribution)
Colman Domingo
“Sing Sing” (A24)
Ralph Fiennes ***
“Conclave” (Focus Features)
Andrew Garfield
“We Live in Time” (A24)
Joaquin Phoenix
“Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.)

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Actress

Image Credit: ©MGM/Courtesy Everett Collection

Karla Sofía Gascón
“Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
Demi Moore
“The Substance” (Mubi)
Julianne Moore
“The Room Next Door” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Saoirse Ronan ***
“The Outrun” (TBA)
Zendaya
“Challengers” (Amazon MGM Studios)

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Supporting Actor

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

Samuel L. Jackson ***
“The Piano Lesson” (Netflix)
Michael Keaton
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros.)
Clarence Maclin
“Sing Sing” (A24)
Stanley Tucci
“Conclave” (Focus Features)
Denzel Washington
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Supporting Actress

Image Credit: Apple

Carrie Coon
“His Three Daughters” (Netflix)
Danielle Deadwyler
“The Piano Lesson” (Netflix)
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor ***
“Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios/Orion)
Saoirse Ronan
“Blitz” (Apple Original Films)
Isabella Rossellini
“Conclave” (Focus Features)

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Original Screenplay

Image Credit: Sam Levy/Netflix

“Anora” (Neon)
Sean Baker
“Blitz” (Apple Original Films) ***
Steve McQueen
“His Three Daughters” (Netflix)
Azazel Jacobs
“A Real Pain” (Searchlight Pictures)
Jesse Eisenberg
“The Room Next Door” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Pedro Almodóvar

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Adapted Screenplay

Image Credit: DreamWorks

“Conclave” (Focus Features)
Peter Straughan
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)
David Scarpa
“Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios/Orion) ***
RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes
“The Piano Lesson” (Netflix)
Virgil Williams, Malcolm Washington
“The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation)
Chris Sanders

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Animated Feature

Image Credit: Focus Features

“Inside Out 2” (Pixar)
Kelsey Mann, Mark Nielsen
“Memoir of a Snail” (IFC Films)
Adam Elliot, Liz Kearney
“Piece by Piece” (Focus Features)
Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, Mimi Valdes, Pharrell Williams
“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” (Netflix)
Merlin Crossingham, Nick Park, Richard Beek, Claire Jennings
“The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation) ***
Chris Sanders, Jeff Hermann

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Production Design

Image Credit: Aidan Monaghan

“Blitz” (Apple Original Films) ***
Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)
Patrice Vermette, Zsuzsanna Sipos
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)
Arthur Max, Elli Griff
“Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.)
Mark Friedberg, Karen O’Hara
“Nosferatu” (Focus Features)
Craig Lathrop

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Cinematography

Image Credit: Pablo Larraín

“Blitz” (Apple Original Films)
Yorick Le Saux
“Conclave” (Focus Features)
Stéphane Fontaine
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) ***
Greig Fraser
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)
John Mathieson
“Maria” (No U.S. Distribution)
Edward Lachmann

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Costume Design

Image Credit: Universal

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros.)
Colleen Atwood
“Blitz” (Apple Original Films)
Jacqueline Durran
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) ***
Jacqueline West
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)
Janty Yates
“Wicked” (Universal Pictures)
Paul Tazewell

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Film Editing

Image Credit: Marvel Studios/Deadpool Twitter

“Blitz” (Apple Original Films) ***
Peter Sciberras
“Conclave” (Focus Features)
Nick Emerson
“Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
Juliette Welfling
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)
Sam Restivo, Claire Simpson
“Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM/Orion)
Nicholas Monsour

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Makeup and Hairstyling

Image Credit: Cannes Film Festival

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros.)
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) ***
“Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.)
“The Substance” (Mubi)
“Wicked” (Universal Pictures)

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Sound

Image Credit: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)
“Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures) ***
“Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.)
“The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation)

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Visual Effects

Image Credit: Screenshot courtesy Disney/YouTube

“Deadpool & Wolverine” (Marvel Studios)
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures) ***
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (20th Century Studios)
“Mufasa: The Lion King” (Walt Disney Pictures)

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Original Score

Image Credit: Atsushi Nishijima

“Conclave” (Focus Features)
Volker Bertelmann
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)
Henry Gregson-Williams
“Kinds of Kindness” (Searchlight Pictures)
Thomas Newman
“The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation) ***
Kris Bowers
“Young Woman and the Sea” (Walt Disney Pictures)
Amelia Warner

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Original Song

Image Credit: Shanna Besson

“El Camino” from “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
“TBA song” from “Mufasa: The Lion King” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“TBA song” from “Piece by Piece” (Focus Features)
“TBA song” from “Six Triple Eight” (Netflix) ***
“TBA song” from “The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation)

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
Documentary Feature

Image Credit: ©Herb Ritts/AUGUST Copyright Ce

“Daughters” (Netflix)
dir. Angela Patton, Natalie Rae
“Piece by Piece” (Focus Features)
dir. Morgan Neville
“Sugarcane” (National Geographic Documentary Films)
dir. Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” (Warner Bros.) ***
dirs. Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui
“Will & Harper” (Netflix)
dir. Josh Greenbaum

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!
International Feature

Image Credit: Courtesy of Petit Chaos, Cannes Film Festival

“All We Imagine is LIght” (India)
dir. Payal Kapadia
“Emilia Pérez” (France)
dir. Jacques Audiard
“Grand Tour” (Portugal)
dir. Miguel Gomes
“Pedro Páramo” (Mexico)
dir. Rodrigo Prieto ***
“Reinas” (Peru)
dir. Klaudia Reynicke-Candeloro

Oscar category page with rankings>>>Coming Soon!