How to Watch All the Early 2025 Oscar Contenders
As the ongoing awards season continues to produce new rounds of Oscars buzz, the main question for many Americans remains the same: How do I actually watch these movies? With so many streaming services and companies taking different paths to bring their A-list projects to viewers, it can be overwhelming work to simply track down the next potential Best Picture winner. We’re here to help. All 27 of these films have varying levels of Oscars buzz with some likely to contend for the big prize while others are content with tech awards or just a few critics groups, but all of these films deserve your attention if you really want to be an expert at your Oscars party next March.
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Anora
The Awards Chatter: It started with the Palme d’Or in 2024’s Cannes, a prize won by recent Oscars darlings like Anatomy of a Fall, Triangle of Sadness, and Parasite. The Sean Baker film then landed seven Critics Choice nominations to go with five Golden Globe nods, including Best Picture.
How to Watch It: Available to rent or buy on demand.
Blitz
The Awards Chatter: The buzz is a little quieter than most people predicted when this premiered at NYFF — no Critics Choice or Golden Globe nods — but don’t rule out Saoirse Ronan or the tech accomplishments of Steve McQueen’s wartime drama. If nothing else, Hans Zimmer always has a shot.
How to Watch It: Apple TV+.
Challengers
The Awards Chatter: It doesn’t seem likely that Zendaya, Mike Faist, or Josh O’Connor will land Oscars nods, but the there are plenty of aspects of Luca Guadagnino’s sexy tennis drama should lead to Academy Award citations, especially the insanely perfect score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the sharp editing by Marco Costa, and challenging (!) cinematography from Sayombhu Mukdeeprom. The score and editing have won critics awards (both took Chicago) and both landed Critics Choice nods. It also notched four Golden Globe nominations, including Best Picture.
How to Watch It: Prime Video.
Conclave
The Awards Chatter: This papal drama has been everywhere in the awards-season chatter and is on its way to a likely Best Picture nod. Where do we begin? A National Board of Review Top 10 Film, multiple regional critics-group nominations, six Golden Globe nominations, and a ridiculous 11 Critics Choice nominations, including Best Picture.
How to Watch It: Peacock.
A Different Man
The Awards Chatter: A Different Man might seem too offbeat to be a major Oscars player, but don’t rule out a surprising (and deserved) Supporting Actor nod for Adam Pearson. He’s been lauded by multiple critics groups, and the film did win Best Picture from Gotham. Sebastian Stan also landed a Golden Globe acting nod. It may be on the fringe of the awards chatter, but it’s definitely there.
How to Watch It: On Max on January 17.
Dune: Part Two
The Awards Chatter: The first Dune in this series landed ten Oscar nominations, winning six, more than any other film from 2022. Can Part Two repeat those achievements? Coming out so early in 2024 means it likely performs a little softer than the first, but it will still be there on nominations morning. And it did land two Golden Globe nods and ten from Critics Choice, including Best Picture from both. Don’t doubt the spice.
How to Watch It: Max.
Emilia Pérez
The Awards Chatter: One of the most divisive films of the year remains an awards-season juggernaut, landing eight Golden Globe nominations to go with a mind-blowing ten nominations from the folks who choose Critics Choice Awards, including Best Picture from both groups. The Jacques Audiard–directed musical-crime film’s run actually started much earlier, when it won three prizes at Cannes, including a special joint Best Actress award for stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Zoe Saldaña.
How to Watch It: Netflix.
His Three Daughters
The Awards Chatter: If there was more justice in awards-giving bodies, this tearjerker starring Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon, and Natasha Lyonne would be a candidate for multiple Oscars, but its only shots appear to be Best Original Screenplay and maybe Best Supporting Actress. Lyonne won the latter award from the Chicago Film Critics Association in December, and Azazel Jacobs took the script prize from Gotham that same month. It also will be awarded the Robert Altman Award for ensemble at the Independent Spirit Awards in February 2025.
How to Watch It: Netflix.
Inside Out 2
The Awards Chatter: It’s a Pixar movie. It’s the highest-grossing movie of the year. It’s the highest-grossing animated film ever. It’s a no-brainer for an Oscar nomination.
How to Watch It: Disney+.
Maria
The Awards Chatter: Pablo Larraín completes his trilogy of 20th-century women (following Jackie and Spencer) with this story of Maria Callas that could very well land star Angelina Jolie her second Oscar. She has been cited in Best Actress multiple times already this season, including from Golden Globes and Critics Choice. (A costume-design nod seems inevitable, too, just for the record.)
How to Watch It: Netflix.
The Piano Lesson
The Awards Chatter: Malcolm Washington’s adaptation of the play of the same name by August Wilson doesn’t seem to have the Oscars momentum it did after its Telluride premiere, but let’s hope that star Danielle Deadwyler doesn’t get snubbed again — we’re still annoyed she missed for Till. She’s been singled out by a number of critics groups (winning the category from the African American Film Critics Association) and landed an Independent Spirit nomination in December.
How to Watch It: Netflix.
A Real Pain
The Awards Chatter: Bet the house on a Kieran Culkin nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and maybe the shed on a screenplay nod for star/director/writer Jesse Eisenberg. The accolades for this one, about two brothers visiting their late grandmother’s childhood home in Poland, have been piling up all year, starting with a screenwriting prize at Sundance in January 2024. It scored three Critics Choice nominations and four Golden Globes noms, including Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, and Screenplay.
How to Watch It: Available to rent on demand on December 31.
The Substance
The Awards Chatter: Will the Academy go for a horror movie this insane? We’ll find out, but the Demi Moore–starring film has been a stronger-than-predicted performer this season, all the way back to a Best Screenplay win at Cannes in May 2024. Recently, two Independent Spirit nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, seven Critics Choice nominations, and literally dozens of critics-group citations have followed. Many are pulling for Moore to pull a Best Actress nomination. The Oscars can’t ignore it.
How to Watch It: Mubi.
The Wild Robot
The Awards Chatter: Likely just a contender in Animated Feature (and maybe Original Score and Original Song), this could be a nice alternative to all the serious awards-season fare. The practically locked Oscars nominee notched four Golden Globe nods and three from Critics Choice, including Animated Feature, Song, and Score from each group.
How to Watch It: Available to rent on demand.
Only in Theaters
All We Imagine As Light
The Awards Chatter: Starting with the Grand Prix (basically second place to the Palme d’Or) at Cannes in May 2024, this nuanced drama about three women in India has been an awards-season player. It won Best International Feature at the Gotham Awards, New York Film Critics Circle, National Board of Review, and the list goes on. The problem? The movie was not selected by the antiquated process for Best International Feature Film by India (who went with Laapataa Ladies) or France (Emilia Pérez). Could that mean that the Academy makes up for that oversight in Director or Screenplay? Don’t rule it out.
How to Watch It: In theaters now.
Babygirl
The Awards Chatter: Nicole Kidman gives one of the best performances of her career opposite Harris Dickinson in this erotic thriller, and only the remarkably crowded Best Actress category could snub her. However, her chances remain high enough for a feature like this, especially after notching her sixth Golden Globe nomination this year. Could she get a matching sixth Oscar nod? Definitely possible, baby.
How to Watch It: In theaters on Christmas Day.
The Brutalist
The Awards Chatter: This could actually be your most nominated film on Oscars morning given its remarkable ensemble and technical achievements. The epic drama starring Adrien Brody as a Hungarian architect in postwar America started its run at Venice, where it won the Silver Lion, and went through waves of critics groups (it won Best Picture at Chicago, for example), on its way to seven Golden Globe nominations and nine Critics Choice citations, including Best Picture from both. There’s no way this isn’t one of the ten for Best Pic in 2025.
How to Watch It: In theaters on December 18.
A Complete Unknown
The Awards Chatter: The Academy loves biopics, which means Timothée Chalamet seems destined to land his second nomination for playing Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s acclaimed drama about the folk-music legend. He may be joined by his buddy Edward Norton, who also sung his way to Best Supporting Actor nods from Critics Choice and the Golden Globes.
How to Watch It: In theaters on Christmas Day.
Gladiator II
The Awards Chatter: Once viewed as a multi-category juggernaut like the original film, this one is more likely just a contender in a handful of categories, mostly for technical achievements and for the legendary Denzel Washington. The Oscar winner notched Golden Globe and Critics Choice nods. A stunning 11th Academy Award nomination seems very feasible.
How to Watch It: In theaters now.
Hard Truths
The Awards Chatter: Mike Leigh has really only been an Oscars darling once, for Secrets and Lies, but this dramedy reunites him with the star of that film, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and she better get a nomination. She missed Golden Globes but landed one at Critics Choice, to go along with a bunch of critics groups.
How to Watch It: In theaters now.
Nickel Boys
The Awards Chatter: An adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s celebrate novel, this RaMell Ross drama has been a critical darling since its fest-season debuts. Nickel Boys won Best Director at Gotham and the New York Film Critics Circle before landing five Critics Choice nods, including Best Picture, and two Independent Spirit nominations. It only got one Golden Globe nomination, but it’s a biggie: Best Picture.
How to Watch It: In theaters now.
Nosferatu
The Awards Chatter: Robert Eggers and the Academy don’t go hand in hand, but this one may have technical achievements that can’t be ignored. Expect it to pop up in categories like Costume Design and Art Direction, places it has appeared for critics groups already this season. It got four nods from Critics Choice.
How to Watch It: In theaters on Christmas Day.
Queer
The Awards Chatter: Double the Luca! The Challengers director had a second drama this year — an adaptation of the William Burroughs novel about being down and out in Mexico City — and most of the buzz is for Daniel Craig to land his first Oscar nomination (he was robbed for Knives Out). He has been cited by over a dozen critics groups and nominated by both CCA and the Golden Globes. Welcome to the Oscars club, Mr. Bond.
How to Watch It: In theaters now.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
The Awards Chatter: Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s movie has a rich backstory, having been shot in secret in Iran before being finished in Germany in order for Rasoulof to avoid further time in prison. The film also has had a rich awards-season run, including wins at the National Board of Review for International Film and for Best Director from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. At the Oscars, the German entry will be a shoo-in for at least a nomination for Best International Feature.
How to Watch It: In theaters now.
September 5
The Awards Chatter: This telling of the events at the Munich Olympics through the eyes of the newspeople covering it has been a regular performer this season, mostly in editing, but it could pop up in bigger categories. The HFPA was high enough on it to nominate it for Best Picture, but it only landed two CCA nods (screenplay and editing). It’s a player, but maybe a minor one.
How to Watch It: In limited release now, wider on January 17.
Sing Sing
The Awards Chatter: This excellent A24 drama tells the true story of prisoners changed by working on a theater production, and it’s building steam over the season, winning Best Actor for Colman Domingo from Gotham, and getting multiple nominations for its star and the excellent supporting work from Clarence Maclin. Golden Globes snubbed it, but it went home with five Critics Choice nods, including Best Picture.
How to Watch It: Being re-released in theaters on January 17.
Wicked
The Awards Chatter: Can the biggest movie on this list also be a major Oscars player? Definitely. Cynthia Erivo is a lock, and Ariana Grande-Butera is close to one — expect a bunch of technical nods too. How’s the story of Elphaba and Galinda doing so far? Four Golden Globe nods and a stunning 11 nominations from CCA, including Best Picture from both. Don’t doubt this witch this season.
How to Watch It: In theaters now.