By Haiyi Bi
Boston University News Service
Hollywood recently revealed this year’s Oscars nominations with “Emilia Pérez,” “A Complete Unknown” and “Conclave” leading in total nods. The awards will recognize the most outstanding and influential films released in the past year across 23 categories, including best picture, best actress and best actor.
This year, 10 films will compete for Best Picture. Historically the number of nominations has been a sliding range from five to 10, but since 2022, the nominations have expanded to 10.
Within the nominees is “Anora,” a comedy-drama film by Sean Baker, who won the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival; “Dune: Part Two,” which has blockbuster appeal and critical acclaim, while “The Brutalist” and “A Complete Unknown” have prestige dramas written all over them. “Emilia Pérez” was a major hit at Cannes too, winning the Jury Prize.
The Academy’s Board of Governors has expanded theatrical eligibility requirements in this category. To qualify for an Oscar, a film must have a one-week release in select United States cities and, for Best Picture, expand to 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets within 45 days, with up to two international. Additionally, late releases must submit a plan and expand by Jan. 24, 2025.
Although “Inside Out 2” created a buzz in the past summer of 2024, moviegoers on Reddit have predicted that either “Wild Robot” or “Flow” will win for Best Animated Feature.
With “Emilia Pérez” winning Best Motion Picture for a Musical at the Golden Globes, many have turned to social media to express complaints on whether the musical should have won over “Wicked.”
Criticisms on “Emilia Pérez” were questioning the content and topic of the film. “If ‘Emilia Pérez’ wins Best Picture over ‘Wicked’, I will be forced to stop taking the Academy seriously,” @philipjonathn posted on X.
In the past year, “Wicked” was extremely popular among the younger generation in the country. “Emilia Pérez,” however, did not generate as much buzz until the unexpected win at the Golden Globes. “Wicked” received a 7.7 out of 10 rating from IMDb audience score, while “Emilia Pérez” got a 5.7 score.
“Emilia Pérez” and “Wicked” are both nominated for the Best Picture, as well as having nominees for Best Actress between Cynthia Erivo and Karla Sofia Gascó and Best Supporting Actress between Ariana Grande and Zoe Saldaña. Erivo and Grande played Elphaba and Glinda in “Wicked,” whereas Gascó and Saldaña played Emilia and Rita in “Emilia Pérez.” This means that each film has nominees in both the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress categories, making them key contenders in the awards race.
According to Screen rant, the biggest discussion centered around whether Demi Moore could leverage her victory to secure her first Oscar, after winning Best Actress at the Golden Globes for her performance in “The Substance.” Screen rant commented that Moore “earned plenty of accolades for her performance.” Her counterpart actress, Margaret Qualley, was not nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Movie web said it is “some of the most infuriating entertainment news in 2025.”
Meanwhile, popular actor Timothée Chalamet received a Best Actor nomination for his performance in “A Complete Unknown.” Chalamet’s first nomination for this category was his role as Elio Perlman in “Call Me by Your Name,” for the 90th Oscars in 2017.
The ceremony is set for March 2 at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time at the Dolby Theatre in Ovation Hollywood and will be broadcast live on ABC and streamed on Hulu.
Click here for the full list of nominations for the 2025 Oscars.
