When most people think of the platonic ideal of a Best Picture, a fantasy horror film doesn't often come to mind. Usually, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hands out their top prizes to a hard hitting drama, often based on a true story, a subversive comedy that still packs a punch, or a biopic that places a historical or cultural figure front and center to celebrate them, criticize them, or sometimes both.
However, at this year's Oscar nomination announcement, a surprising movie made history. Though the film was nearly universally beloved upon its release back in April of 2025, its genre meant that major awards recognition would likely have been an uphill battle. That said, against all odds, this film proved to be the biggest winner on nomination morning, receiving an historical amount of recognition.
Sinners over performs with Oscar nominations
Ryan Coogler's Sinners scored 16 Oscar nominations, breaking the previous record of 14 nods, held by All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997), and La La Land (2016). Although the number of categories has changed throughout the years, with this upcoming ceremony introducing the award for Best Casting, Sinners still earned itself the most impressive haul of the morning, even edging out the presumed Best Picture frontrunner, Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another (2025), which earned 13 nominations, significantly fewer than Sinners' sweet 16.
Sinners' incredible 16 Oscar nominations included recognition in the following categories: Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Original Song (for "I Lied to You"), Best Production Design, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Leading Actor (for Michael B. Jordan's dual role of "Smoke" and "Stack" Moore), Best Supporting Actress (for Wunmi Mosaku's take on Annie), and Best Supporting Actor (for Delroy Lindo's portrayal of Delta Slim). While Sinners was expected to earn nominations in most of these categories, Lindo's nod is a pleasant surprise, marking the iconic veteran actor's first career Oscar bid.
Sinners marks director Coogler's second film to earn a Best Picture nomination. His 2018 flick Black Panther (2018) contended for the top prize at the 91st Academy Awards, becoming the first superhero film to compete for the big trophy. Black Panther won three significant awards: Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score. Clearly, Coogler has become an Academy favorite.
Why Sinners' Oscar success seemed unlikely at first
Set in Jim Crow Mississippi in 1932, Sinners follows young musician Sammie "Preacherboy" Moore (Miles Caton), who tags along to the opening of the juke joint owned and operated by his identical twin cousins known as Smoke and Stack (Jordan). However, Sammie's musical talents attracts the unwanted attention of the vampire Remmick (Jack O'Connell), who aims to turn Sammie to use his skills to summon the lost spirits of his community. One by one, Remmick and his vampires infiltrate the juke joint, turning the grand opening into a fight for survival.
Despite a fantastic premise and excellent reviews, Sinners' genres made it an unlikely Oscar player. To date, only two fantasy films, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) and The Shape of Water (2017), have won Best Picture, with only a handful of others earned nominations in the category.
Sinners' horror elements offer up a similar track record. Most horror movies that contend for Best Picture, including the genre's only winner, The Silence of the Lambs (1991), feel more like thrillers than horror. Additionally, most horror films nominated for Best Picture tend to steer clear from supernatural elements. Even last year's spookiest contender, Coralie Fargeat'sThe Substance (2024), feel more like science fiction horror than fantasy horror. As such, Sinners is the first Best Picture nominee to deal with the undead since M. Night Shamalyan's The Sixth Sense (1999).
Sinners overcame its genre bias thanks to pure passion behind the film. Coogler's pitch-perfect direction and sharp script, stellar performances from all cast members, both those who received an Oscar nomination and those who did not, and the film's unforgettable musical and technical elements led to it becoming one of the most celebrated releases of 2025, which forced it into the awards conversation. In fact, Sinners' horror and fantasy elements likely helped it earn spots in additional categories, such as Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
All in all, Sinners is an undeniable hit, and its accolades make for a cherry on top of its incredible artistic successes so far.
Make sure to catch the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026. Sinners is available to stream on HBO Max.