tbd All We Imagine as Light (Janus Films)
An Indian drama from a first-time director and a niche distributor that wasn't even selected as its country's entry into the International Feature category seems an unlikely Best Picture nominee. But it's the best-reviewed film on this page (yes, even better than Anora).
tbd Babygirl (A24)
Halina Reijn's upcoming erotic thriller (perhaps the least family-friendly Christmas Day release in recent memory) about a kinky May-December romance is probably not Best Picture material. Yet reviews have been very good, and star Nicole Kidman took Best Actress honors at Venice and could be in line for an Oscar nomination.
tbd Challengers (United Artists) pictured above
The spring release date for Luca Guadagnino's tennis romance starring Zendaya suggests that it wasn't considered Oscar material, and its lackluster box office performance doesn't help. But reviews were strong, and some experts haven't completely ruled it out of the Best Picture race.
tbd Hard Truths (Bleecker Street)
A bleak drama reuniting director Mike Leigh with his Secrets & Lies star Marianne Jean-Baptiste, this upcoming January release (following a qualifying run in December) scored excellent reviews on the festival circuit. But distributor Bleecker Street doesn't have any Best Picture track record, and experts give the film slim odds to crack the field.
tbd I'm Still Here (Sony Pictures Classics)
Reviews have been good—though not universally so—for Walter Salles' upcoming true-story drama about one family's struggles in a dictator-led Brazil in 1971. But probably not good enough to win over voters when there are bigger films to consider.
tbd Inside Out 2 (Disney)
Though all three animated films to receive Best Picture nominations are Disney releases, Inside Out 2 has the added burden of not even being the best animated film released this year. If its even better predecessor couldn't get nominated, the sequel will probably face the same fate.
tbd Juror #2 (Warner Bros.)
In most circumstances, a well-reviewed, Clint Eastwood-directed drama would have a pretty good chance at a nomination. But not when its distributor refuses to mount an awards campaign for the film or even give it more than a token theatrical release.
tbd Maria (Netflix)
Neither of Pablo Larraín's previous two famous woman biopics—Spencer and Jackie—received best picture nominations, and this one is the worst-reviewed of the three. But star Angelina Jolie could be a major player in the Best Actress race for her performance as singer Maria Callas in her final days.
tbd Nosferatu (Focus Features)
Early screenings have produced plenty of positive social media buzz for this very gory Gothic horror take on Dracula from Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse), which won't be released until Christmas Day. But see the entry below for The Substance. (Do expect multiple nominations in other categories for Nosferatu, though.)
tbd The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
Reviews have been good but not great for this latest August Wilson adaptation from Denzel Washington and family (one son directs, another stars). If viewership is strong when the film debuts on Netflix on Nov. 22, a nomination gets slightly likelier.
tbd Queer (A24)
Luca Guadagnino's other 2024 film—an adaptation of a William S. Burroughs novel—might be an even tougher sell for a Best Picture nomination than Challengers. But star Daniel Craig could be in the running for an acting nomination for his performance as an American expat who becomes infatuated with a younger man in 1950s Mexico City.
tbd Saturday Night (Sony)
So many famous people playing famous people ... in a movie about show business! Academy voters usually love that. They have also liked director Jason Reitman's work in the past. Unfortunately, Reitman's retelling of SNL's original broadcast is missing both critical acclaim and strong box office performance. (Either one of those might have done the trick.)
tbd The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Neon)
Assuming that Emilia Perez gets a nomination, will there be room in the Best Picture field for two foreign-language films? That has only happened twice in Oscar history—but it did happen last year, when three such films were nominated. And this well-reviewed Iranian political thriller (technically Germany's entry in the International Feature category because politics) comes with some added intrigue: Director Mohammad Rasoulof was sentenced to prison for making the film but then fled to Germany (and just in time to then attend the film's premiere in Cannes). It's still an unlikely nominee, but the story behind the film could give it a push.
tbd The Substance (MUBI)
Only six horror films have ever been nominated for best picture, and none since 2017's Get Out. Coralie Fargeat's new body horror film has a bit less critical acclaim than the latter—and nowhere near the box office success. (And niche distributor MUBI has never had a best picture nominee.)
