Despite its beleaguered title, the Oscar campaign for “One Battle After Another” has been more of a blowout. The Leonardo DiCaprio-led epic, which earned 13 nominations, has taken the top prize at almost every major ceremony so far.
Key word: Almost.
After a surprise win by Ryan Coogler’s vampire horror film, “Sinners,” at the Actor Awards this month, the race is on to see whether the film, which earned a record-setting 16 Oscar nominations, can dethrone “One Battle After Another” in the final stretch.
And the acting races! With the exception of Jessie Buckley, who has won best actress at every precursor ceremony for her performance as Shakespeare’s wife in “Hamnet,” all bets are off on Sunday night.
Can Timothée Chalamet overcome the academy’s bias against young male stars to win best actor? Or will Michael B. Jordan capitalize on his win at the Screen Actors Guild’s Actor Awards? And who will finally triumph in the hotly contested supporting actress category?
There are plenty more reasons to watch: Conan O’Brien is back as host. A new award will be handed out for casting. And “Golden,” the earworm-tastic hit from “KPop Demon Hunters,” will be performed.
Here’s everything you need to know.
What time does the show start and where can I watch?
If you somehow missed the memo about last year’s early start, don’t make that mistake again. This year’s ceremony is another one for the early birds: It’s scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. Pacific, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
On TV, ABC is the official broadcaster. Online, you can watch the show live on the ABC app, which is free to download, or at abc.com, though you’ll need to sign in using the credentials from your cable provider. A number of live TV streaming services also offer access to ABC, including Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV and FuboTV, which all require subscriptions.
For cord cutters, the show will also air live on Hulu again this year, a sign of things to come as we inch closer to the Oscars’ moving to YouTube beginning in 2029.
Can people outside the United States watch?
The show will be broadcast live around the world. In Canada, it will be shown on CTV; in Britain, it will be on ITV1. The Oscars website has a country-by-country list of the networks that will be airing the ceremony.
Is there a red carpet?
Yes, and it’s shaping up to be a stylish one: Keep an eye out for Jacob Elordi, who scored his first Oscar nomination — for best supporting actor — for playing the creature in Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein”; Timothée Chalamet, the best actor favorite for “Marty Supreme,” who’s made the table-tennis comedy’s neon- orange theme his personal style palette; and Wunmi Mosaku, the best supporting actress nominee for “Sinners” who’s been lighting up award-show carpets with her fierce pregnancy style.
An official 30-minute red carpet preshow hosted by Tamron Hall and Jesse Palmer will begin at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on ABC and Hulu, which will lead straight into the live ceremony. If that’s not enough for you, the unofficial E! Oscars red carpet show will begin at 4 p.m. Eastern.
Who is hosting?
The Emmy-winning comedian, podcaster and traveler Conan O’Brien is back after a well-reviewed debut last year. For his sophomore turn, expect some ribbing of the nominees, a hearty dose of self-deprecation — and maybe even another mock musical number. Pop quiz: Guess what movie with an Oscar-nominated performance he’s in this year? (The answer is at the end.)
Who is presenting?
As always, the academy has secured a lineup of A-listers. Last year’s acting winners — Adrien Brody (actor), Mikey Madison (actress), Kieran Culkin (supporting actor) and Zoe Saldaña (supporting actress) — will be on hand.
The stars joining them will include Javier Bardem, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Anne Hathaway, Nicole Kidman, Jimmy Kimmel, Delroy Lindo, Paul Mescal, Demi Moore, Gwyneth Paltrow, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Maya Rudolph and Channing Tatum. Matt Berry will serve as the ceremony’s announcer.
What’s new this year?
For the first time in more than two decades, the Oscars have added a new competitive award: best casting. The inaugural five nominees are “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “One Battle After Another,” “The Secret Agent” and “Sinners.”
That brings the ceremony to 24 categories in all — but unlike the Globes, it has no plans to sideline another award to make space.
Who will be performing?
After skipping live performances by the original song nominees last year, the academy is bringing them back — but only for two of the five contenders: “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters,” which will be performed by Ejae (who sings as Rumi in the film), Audrey Nuna (Mira) and Rei Ami (Zoey); and “I Lied to You” from “Sinners,” performed by Miles Caton (who plays Sammie, the young blues guitarist).
The three other nominees — Diane Warren’s “Dear Me” from “Dianne Warren: Relentless,” “Sweet Dreams of Joy” by Nicholas Pike from “Viva Verdi!” and Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner’s “Train Dreams” from “Train Dreams” — will be spotlighted in pretaped segments.
Who is nominated?
“Sinners,” a horror fantasia set in the Jim Crow South and rooted in Black culture, scored a record-breaking 16 nominations. Not far behind was “One Battle After Another,” a dystopian commentary on authoritarianism and citizen resistance that picked up 13.
After that, the pack gets crowded, with three films each picking up nine nominations: “Frankenstein,” Guillermo del Toro’s take on the classic Mary Shelley novel; “Train Dreams,” a slow-moving rumination on loss; and “Sentimental Value,” a Norwegian family drama.
In the acting races, Timothée Chalamet (“Marty Supreme”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“One Battle After Another”) Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”), Michael B. Jordan (“Sinners”) and Wagner Moura (“The Secret Agent”) will face off for best actor. For best actress, it’s between Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”), Rose Byrne, (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”), Kate Hudson (“Song Sung Blue”), Renate Reinsve, (“Sentimental Value”) and Emma Stone (“Bugonia”).
How can I watch the nominated films?
All 10 best-picture nominees — “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “One Battle After Another,” “Sentimental Value,” “Sinners,” “The Secret Agent” and “Train Dreams” — are available to stream or rent on various platforms.
Who is going to win?
The awards prediction website Gold Derby was showing “One Battle After Another” with nearly a 76 percent chance of winning last week. We wouldn’t bet against it. (Neither would our awards season columnist Kyle Buchanan, who writes that “few contenders falter at the Oscars when they have as formidable a portfolio” of precursor victories as the film.) Its filmmaker, Paul Thomas Anderson, is also the favorite in the director and adapted screenplay categories.
In best actor, 30-year-old Chalamet has been the favorite all season, picking up wins at the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards, then Jordan, 39, pulled off an upset at the Actor Awards. Buchanan is now predicting Jordan will win.
The best actress race is as close to a lock as the night holds: Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”) has won a majority of the precursor awards, though Rose Byrne (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”), who won a Globe for her performance as a stressed-out mother, could present a challenge. (Byrne and Buckley didn’t compete in the same category at the Globes, which hand out separate awards for work in dramas and musicals/comedies.) But as Buchanan points out, the Oscars have a tough time with tetchy women.
The supporting actor and actress races might be the night’s most dramatic: Stellan Skarsgard (“Sentimental Value”) was once the front-runner, but Sean Penn (“One Battle After Another”) is coming off consecutive wins at the BAFTAs and the Actor Awards (though he skipped both ceremonies). And if you know who’s coming out on top between the Actor Award winner Amy Madigan (“Weapons”), the Golden Globe winner Teyana Taylor (“One Battle After Another”) and the BAFTA winner Wunmi Mosaku (“Sinners”), well, do clue us in.
For your Oscar pool, here are Buchanan’s predictions for all 24 categories.
Will there be animals?
Not that we know of. Could someone invite the “Marty Supreme” dog, please? We’d also settle for the puppies from “Train Dreams.” (The highly stressed therapist Conan O’Brien plays in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” certainly needs one.)
Sarah Bahr writes about culture and style for The Times.
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