Oscar nominations 2026 final predictions: One Battle After Another set to dominate; can India's Homebound get a nod?

Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another might join the elite ranks of films that earned Academy Award nominations in all four acting categories.

One of the most anticipated award season moments of the year has arrived. The day of the Oscar nominations. Ahead of the announcements, which will be out on 7 PM IST on January 22, let us take a look at the chances at some of the buzziest titles which are tipped to earn double-digit nominations and make Academy Awards history.

The Oscar nominations will be announced on January 22.

One Battle After Another set to rule

Paul Thomas Anderson's epic One Battle After Another has practically swept every precursor award leading to the Oscars. At the Golden Globes, the film won Best Picture (Comedy or Musical) and Best Director, in addition to nods for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Teyana Taylor.

At the Oscars, the film has high chances of securing nominations for five of its actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn and Teyana Taylor, across all four acting categories. By doing so, the film might become the 16th film in the history of the awards to be nominated in all four acting categories. The last film to do so was American Hustle in 2013.

Leonardo DiCaprio in a still from One Battle After Another.

The categories where One Battle After Another could earn a spot are:

Best Picture

Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)

Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio)

Best Actress (Chase Infiniti)

Best Supporting Actress (Teyana Taylor)

Best Supporting Actor (Sean Penn)

Best Supporting Actor (Benicio Del Toro)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Casting

Best Cinematography

Best Film Editing

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

Best Score

Best Sound

Sinners could make history

Ryan Coogler's Sinners is also eyeing Oscar history, with projections of as many as 14 nominations. The horror thriller led by Michael B. Jordan is set to hold strong in the craft categories, along with Best Picture and Best Director. If Sinners manages to achieve that feat, it would tie the all-time nominations list held by an elite bunch, including All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997), and La La Land (2016).

Sinners starred Michael B Jordan in a dual role.

The categories where Sinners could find a spot include

Best Picture

Best Director (Ryan Coogler)

Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan)

Best Supporting Actress (Wunmi Mosaku)

Best Original Screenplay

Best Casting

Best Cinematography

Best Costume Design

Best Film Editing

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

Best Production Design

Best Score

Best Song ("I Lied to You")

Best Sound

What are the chances of India's Homebound?

All eyes will be on the Best International Feature film category, where India's Homehound will fight for a spot. Like every year, it is one of the toughest categories to fill in, and the Academy loves to throw in a surprise. So far, the titles leading the way are undoubtedly Norway's Sentimental Value, Brazil's The Secret Agent, France's It Was Just an Accident, and Spain's Sirāt. The fifth spot is where Neeraj Ghaywan's Homebound can sneak in.

Homebound follows childhood friends Shoaib (Ishaan Khatter) and Chandan (Vishal Jethwa), whose shared dream of joining the police force shapes their lives.

Some of the other major titles that are bound to feature in the nominations list include Chloe Zhao's Hamnet, Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein, Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme, Jon M Chu's Wicked: For Good, and Clint Bentley's Train Dreams.