The Two Movies From 2025 With A Shot At Best Picture So Far (It’ll Be A Sin If 1 Misses Out)

Since we’re only halfway through 2025, it’s still very hard to predict what movies will be nominated for Best Picture at next year’s Academy Awards. However, it’s always fun to theorize what kind of movies members of the Academy are enjoying this year. After all, many incredible films have already been released this year, such as Mickey 17, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Sinners, F1 The Movie, and several others.

There have been many great films released in several different genres this year, but I think Sinners and F1 The Movie have the best shot at landing Best Picture nominations at the 2026 Academy Awards. Immediately upon its release, Sinners was regarded as the best movie of the year, and also cemented its lasting legacy by breaking several box office records.

Similarly, the recently released F1 The Movie has been a major box office success and has also garnered great critical reviews. A new Oscars rule requires Academy members to watch all the films in a category before voting, so if Sinners and F1 The Movie are nominated for Best Picture, voters will definitely be impressed. Therefore, let’s examine why Sinners and F1 The Movie would be great Best Picture nominees at the 2026 Academy Awards.

Sinners Should Be A Lock For A Best Picture Nomination

Sinners Is One Of The Most Thematically Rich Movies Of The Year

Ever since its release, reviews for Sinners have been fantastic, with Screen Rant’s own Mae Abdulbaki giving it a score of 9 out of 10. Even though Ryan Coogler’s newest film is a vampire horror movie, it explores complex themes, such as race, identity, family, and community, that have resonated with audiences all over the world.

This is evident from Sinners’ total box office haul. Over the course of its theatrical run, the film managed to gross a total of $365 million globally (via Box Office Mojo). Nowadays, this kind of box office haul is very rare for a completely original movie, but Coogler defied all the odds with Sinners. The horror movie broke countless records at the box office, and will definitely be remembered for years to come.

In fact, Sinners could very well be remembered as the definitive movie of 2025, which is why it should be a lock for a Best Picture nomination at next year’s Academy Awards. Sinners has the right mix of critical acclaim and box office success to be nominated for the top prize at the Oscars. With Sinners, Coogler successfully managed to toe the line between blockbuster and art, which is a major achievement.

Since Black Panther, Coogler’s third feature film, was nominated for Best Picture in 2019, Sinners will definitely be on the Academy’s radar. The only thing that could work against it is its early release date, but Warner Bros. will definitely campaign hard for the movie before awards season begins. Therefore, I hope to see Sinners as a Best Picture nominee in 2026.

F1 The Movie Could Also Be In The Best Picture Race

F1 The Movie Is A Major Summer Blockbuster

While Sinners should be a lock for Best Picture at next year’s Oscars, F1 The Movie is more of an outside bet. Historically, a major blockbuster like F1 The Movie is not the kind of film that the Academy would recognize in the Best Picture category. However, things have changed in recent years, and it seems like the Academy now likes to nominate a couple of blockbusters every year.

Related

The Two Horrific Real-Life Racing Crashes That Inspired F1’s Most Chilling Scene

F1: The Movie director Joseph Kosinski reveals the two real-life incidents that inspired the film’s most terrifying scene on the race track.

In recent years, blockbusters like Dune: Part Two, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Top Gun: Maverick have been nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It needs to be mentioned that F1 The Movie is directed by Joseph Kosinski, who also helmed Top Gun: Maverick, so he is clearly a filmmaker that the Academy likes.

Reviews for F1 The Movie have been great, but it definitely won’t end up being one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year. Despite this, it could still end up receiving a Top Gun: Maverick-style Best Picture nomination at next year’s Academy Awards. Just like Top Gun: Maverick, F1 The Movie likely won’t win Best Picture, but it would still be great to see it get nominated.

Which Upcoming Movies Will Factor Heavily Into The 2026 Oscars?

Plenty Of Exciting Movies Are Still To Come In 2025

In addition to Sinners and F1 The Movie, films like Hamnet, Bugonia, Sentimental Value, Die, My Love, The Smashing Machine, Marty Supreme, and, of course, Wicked: For Good, are also some of the biggest contenders for Best Picture at the 2026 Academy Awards. All of these movies will be released this fall, which is when members of the Academy will be deciding what to recognize at next year’s ceremony.

Additionally, James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash also releases in December, and could be a major blockbuster that potentially takes a spot away from F1 The Movie. Therefore, since there are still many anticipated films that are set to come out this year, it is not a guarantee that Sinners and F1 The Movie will be nominated for Best Picture.

Based on all the aforementioned films, next year’s Best Picture pool could be stacked with incredible movies. However, out of all the films that have already been released in 2025, Sinners and F1 The Movie are definitely the two most likely to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and it would honestly be so disappointing if the former, in particular, didn’t receive a nomination.

• 
  

  

  Sinners

  
  

  9/10

  Release Date

  April 18, 2025
  

  Runtime

  138 minutes

  Director

  Ryan Coogler

  
  

  
  

  
  

• 
  

  

  F1

  
  

  8/10

  Release Date

  June 27, 2025
  

  Runtime

  156 Minutes

  Director

  Joseph Kosinski

  Writers

  Joseph Kosinski, Ehren Kruger

  Producers

  Brad Pitt, Chad Oman, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jeremy Kleiner, Lewis Hamilton, Joseph Kosinski, Dede Gardner

  
  

  • 

  • 

    Damson Idris

    Joshua ‘Noah’ Pearce