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- Paramount Pictures
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- A24
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- Mubi
The Biggest Snubs And Surprises From The 2025 Oscar Nominations
Vote up the Academy Award nominations (or lack of noms) that genuinely surprised you.
From Emilia Perez leading the charge with 13 noms to Gladiator II getting shut out of major categories, the Oscar nominations included plenty of surprises when Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott announced the official list of nominees for the 97th Academy Awards.
That announcement itself was a bit of surprise, having been delayed in light of the devastating wildfires, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the wait worth it with a more varied roster of movies and performers than anyone expected. Nominees no one saw coming including Sebastian Stan's turn as Donald Trump in The Apprentice, the Argentinian film I'm Still Here being up for Best Picture, and Zoe Saldaña being nominated for her supporting turn Emilia Perez.
While Emilia Perez leads the pack in terms of raw nominations, neither Wicked nor The Brutalist are far behind, with 10 nominations each. You can see the full list of nominees here.
But nominations aren't wins, and the actual Oscars telecast will have no shortage of continued snubs and surprises when it airs on March 2, 2025.
Best Picture, Best Director - Coralie Fargeat
Demi Moore was expected to score a nomination, but the body horror celebrity satire overdelivered elsewhere with five total noms, including Original Screenplay and Best Director for Fargeat. She's only the eighth woman to be nominated for the award. And though The Substance isn't a total surprise, it's still delightfully jarring that a horror movie this flat-out gross is a Best Picture nominee.
Best Actor - Queer
Playing an ex-patriate who falls for a younger man in Mexico City, Craig consciously shed his 007 image, and looked like a likely to snag his first Oscar nomination as a result. He was nominated for a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and a Critics' Choice Award, but he'll have to wait for an Oscar nom.
Best Actor - The Apprentice
As a young Donald Trump, Stan's performance was the most talked-about element of The Apprentice, which largely came and went during awards season. The lack of either overwhelming praise or uncut controversy appeared to doom the film's chances, but Stan's work, a striking contrast to his well-known Winter Soldier role, stood out enough for a surprise nomination in a crowded category.
Best Picture
An inspirational story inspired by a real program in which prison inmates finding some measure of redemption and purpose through live theater, Sing Sing has the “based on a true story” bona fides, uplifting tone, and an incredible Colman Domingo performance, all of which added up to a presumptive nomination that didn't happen, maybe because Nickel Boys may have slid into the race in its place.
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SURPRISE - I'm Still Here
Best Picture, International Film, Best Actress - Fernanda Torres
Based on a true story, I'm Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui in Portuguese) is an Argentinian film about lawyer Eunice Paiva's quest for answers after her husband is abducted by the state. It's a major wild card in the Best Picture race, with the having not been heavily favored to break out of the International category.
Best Supporting Actress - The Substance
As Sue, the "younger, more beautiful, more perfect" version of Demi Moore's Elisabeth Sparkle, Qualley plays the ideal of modern celebrity on an unhinged body horror ride. While Moore's received even more attention, Qualley was seen as a likely nominee.
