In a few hours, some of the best movies that made waves over the past year will be nominated for the upcoming 98th Academy Awards (Oscars 2026). As expected, industry watchers have narrowed the field, with the handful of films that have clearly separated themselves from the pack expected to get the nod.
Some were widely watched. Some featured familiar faces. Some simply benefited from global hype. With that in mind, here are the major Oscar races Nigerians are most likely to recognise, and where things currently stand.
Best picture
Most prediction lists agree that this is shaping up as a tight race between a few dominant titles. Sinners and One Battle After Another are consistently named as the frontrunners, with films like Hamnet, Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent filling out the field.
From a Nigerian standpoint, Sinners stands out simply because it crossed over into mainstream conversation here in a way the others largely did not. F1 also lingers on the edges of the race.
Best director
Two names appear almost everywhere: Ryan Coogler for Sinners and Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another. Both films are expected to perform strongly across multiple categories, and this race is being framed as a measure of which film the Academy ultimately wants to reward most heavily.
Best actor in a leading role
This is one of the more accessible categories for casual viewers, largely because of the names involved. Michael B. Jordan for Sinners and Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another are widely predicted to make the final five.
Even for people who do not care about awards, this is the kind of matchup that is easy to have an opinion on, if only because the actors are familiar.
Best actress in a leading role
Jessie Buckley (Hamnet), Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You), Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another), Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value) and Emma Stone (Bugonia) are the names most often cited here.
This is a category dominated by quieter prestige performances, which means it may not generate much conversation locally, but it remains one of the most stable races heading into nomination morning.
Best actor in a supporting role
Predictions suggest this category will be crowded by One Battle After Another, alongside expected contenders like Paul Mescal (Hamnet), Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein) and Stellan Skarsgård (Sentimental Value).
If One Battle After Another ends up with a lot of nominations, this is one of the categories where it could show its strength.
Best actress in a supporting role
Another category Nigerians are most likely to watch closely, thanks to Wunmi Mosaku’s presence in Sinners. She is predicted alongside Teyana Taylor, another Black actress in the category (One Battle After Another), as well as Amy Madigan (Weapons) and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value).
Best original screenplay
Sinners (Ryan Coogler) is frequently named as a serious contender in this category, appearing across multiple nomination prediction lists. Another strong contender is Marty Supreme (Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein), a film that has featured prominently in awards-season conversations but has made far less impact with Nigerian audiences.
Best animated feature
KPop Demon Hunters has emerged as a dominant presence in this category. Its streaming success and visibility have made it one of the most recognisable animated contenders of the year, including among Nigerian audiences who may not follow animation awards closely.
Best original song
KPop Demon Hunters’ Golden and Sinners’ I Lied to You both appear in song predictions, making this another category where Nigerians who watched either film can easily engage without needing deep awards knowledge.
While many Nigerian movie lovers do not care so much about the Oscars, If you watched Sinners, enjoyed One Battle After Another, or streamed KPop Demon Hunters, it is perfectly fine to have a preference, root for a win, or feel mildly pleased if something you liked is recognised. The Oscars do not need to matter. They can simply be background noise, something you dip into if a film you watched happens to be in the mix, and ignore entirely if it’s not.
And for most Nigerians, that is probably enough.
The post Sinners, One Battle After Another, others tipped to dominate Oscars 2026 nominations appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
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