In 2024, there has been considerable debate about whether this year has been a weak one for movies. While some people seem to feel that the offerings have been lackluster, I completely disagree. In fact, 2024 has provided a wealth of diverse films across multiple genres, making it a standout year for cinema. From blockbusters that dominated the box office to indie gems that flew under the radar, there’s been something for everyone.

For instance, we’ve seen some incredible horror films (“The Substance” & “Terrifier 3”), sci-fi epics (“Dune: Part Two”), heartwarming dramas (“We Live in Time” & “A Real Pain”), and even exciting animated features that appealed to both kids and adults (“The Wild Robot” & “Inside Out 2”). The variety is staggering, and it reflects the creative risks filmmakers have been willing to take. Instead of sticking to formulaic approaches, directors have explored new storytelling techniques and complex narratives, giving audiences a rich cinematic experience. Whether you’re a fan of action-packed superhero movies, thought-provoking dramas, or even quirky comedies, 2024 has had a film to offer you, proving that it’s far from being a “weak” year.

Another element that has made 2024 particularly exciting for moviegoers is the unpredictability of this year’s awards season. Unlike in previous years, when frontrunners like “Oppenheimer” or “Everything Everywhere All at Once” were clear favorites from the get-go and went on to win Best Picture, this year is much harder to call. This level of uncertainty is thrilling because, for once, we don’t have a singular movie dominating the conversation, leaving the outcome of the Oscars wide open. There’s no obvious juggernaut leading the charge, which adds an element of surprise and tension that has been missing in recent years.

For example, we have films that are incredibly strong in different categories—be it performances, screenwriting, or technical achievements—so there’s no one-size-fits-all contender. This makes it much more fun to follow the awards race, as every new film release or critic poll can shake up the landscape. For me, the intrigue of not knowing who will take home the top honors is one of the best parts of the season. It elevates the entire experience, adding a sense of mystery and excitement, especially when compared to years where the winners felt more like a foregone conclusion.

Benji’s October 2025 Oscar Predictions:

Best Picture

1. The Brutalist (A24)
2. Anora (NEON)
3. Nickel Boys (Amazon/MGM)
4. Conclave (Focus Features)
5. Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
6. Dune: Part !! (Warner Bros.)
7. Sing Sing (A24)
8. Blitz (Apple TV+)
9. A Real Pain (Searchlight)
10. Gladiator !! (Paramount)

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• 11. September 5 (Paramount)
• 12. A Complete Unknown (Searchlight)
• 13. Saturday Night (Sony Pictures)
• 14. The Substance (MUBI)
• 15. The Seed of the Sacred Fig (NEON)
• 16. Juror #2 (Warner Bros.)
• 17. Challengers (Amazon/MGM)
• 18. Hard Truths (Bleecker Street)
• 19. Babygirl (A24)
• 20. I’m Still Here (Sony Pictures)

Best Director

1. Brady Corbet – The Brutalist (A24)
2. Sean Baker – Anora (NEON)
3. Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part !!
4. Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
5. RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys (Amazon/MGM)

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• 6. Edward Berger – Conclave (Focus Features)
• 7. Mohammad Rasoulof – The Seed of the Sacred Fig (NEON)
• 8. Carolie Fargeat – The Substance (MUBI)
• 9. James Mangold – A Complete Unknown (Searchlight Pictures)
• 10. Ridley Scott – Gladiator !! (Paramount Pictures)

Best Actor

1. Adrien Brody – The Brutalist (A24)
2. Ralph Fiennes – Conclave (Focus Features)
3. Colman Domingo – Sing Sing (A24)
4. Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown (Searchlight Pictures)
5. Daniel Craig – Queer (A24)

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• 6. Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice (Briarcliff Entertainment)
• 7. Sebastian Stan – A Different Man (A24)
• 8. Paul Mescal – Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures)
• 9. Nicholas Hoult – Juror#2 (Warner Bros)
• 10. Peter Sarsgaard – September 5 (Paramount Pictures)

Best Actress

1. Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
2. Mikey Madison – Anora (NEON)
3. Saoirse Ronan – The Outrun (Sony Pictures Classics)
4. Angelina Jolie – Maria (Netflix)
5. Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here (Sony Pictures Classics)

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• 6. Demi Moore – The Substance (MUBI)
• 7. Nicole Kidman – Babygirl (A24)
• 8. Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths (Bleecker Street)
• 9. Amy Adams – Nightbitch (Searchlight Pictures)
• 10. Tilda Swinton – The Room Next Door (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Denzel Washington – Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures)
2. Guy Pearce – The Brutalist (A24)
3. Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures)
4. Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing (A24)
5. Yury Borisov – Anora (NEON)

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• 6. Stanley Tucci – Conclave (Focus Features)
• 7. Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice (Briarcliff Entertainment)
• 8. Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown (Searchlight Pictures)
• 9. John Magaro – September 5 (Paramount Pictures)
• 10. John Lithgow – Conclave (Focus Features)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
2. Felicity Jones – The Brutalist (A24)
3. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys (Amazon MGM)
4. Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
5. Selena Gomez – Emilia Pérez (Netflix)

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• 6. Toni Collette – Juror #2 (Warner Bros)
• 7. Saoirse Ronan – Blitz (Apple Original Films)
• 8. Leonie Benesch – September 5 (Paramount Pictures)
• 9. Isabella Rossellini – Conclave (Focus Features)
• 10. Michelle Austin – Hard Truths

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Conclave — Peter Straughan (based on “Conclave” by Robert Harris) (Focus Features)
2. Emilia Pérez — Jacques Audiard (based on “Listen” by Boris Razon) (Netflix)
3. Sing Sing — Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield (based on “The Sing Sing Follies” by John H. Richardson and “Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code” by Brent Buell) (A24)
4. Nickel Boys — RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes (based on “The Nickel Boys” by Colson Whitehead) (Amazon MGM)
5. Gladiator II — David Scarpa, Peter Craig (based on characters by David Franzoni) (Paramount Pictures)

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• 6. Dune: Part Two — Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts (based on the series by Frank Herbert) (Warner Bros)
• 7. A Complete Unknown — Jay Cocks, James Mangold (based on “Dylan Goes Electric!” by Elijah Wald (Searchlight Pictures)
• 8. The Room Next Door — Pedro Almodóvar (based on “What Are You Going Through” by Sigrid Nunez) (Sony Pictures Classics)
• 9. I’m Still Here — Murilo Hauser, Heitor Lorega (based on “I’m Still Here” by Marcelo Rubens Paiva) (Sony Pictures Classics)
• 10. Inside Out 2 — Meg LeFauve, Dave Holstein, Kelsey Mann (based on characters from the film “Inside Out”)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Anora — Sean Baker (NEON)
2. The Brutalist — Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold (A24)
3. A Real Pain — Jesse Eisenberg (Searchlight Pictures)
4. Hard Truths — Mike Leigh (Bleecker Street)
5. September 5 — Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum (Paramount Pictures)

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• 6. The Seed of the Sacred Fig — Mohammad Rasoulof (NEON)
• 7. The Substance — Coralie Fargeat (MUBI)
• 8. Saturday Night — Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman (Sony Pictures)
• 9. The Apprentice — Gabriel Sherman (Briarcliff Entertainment)
• 10. Blitz — Steve McQueen (Apple Original Films)

Film Editing

1. Dune: Part Two — Joe Walker (Warner Bros)
2. The Brutalist — Dávid Jancsó (A24)
3. Anora — Sean Baker (NEON)
4. Emilia Pérez — Juliette Welfling (Netflix)
5. Gladiator II — Sam Restivo, Claire Simpson (Paramount Pictures)

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• 6. September 5 — Hansjörg Weißbrich (Paramount Pictures)
• 7. Conclave — Nick Emerson (Focus Features)
• 8. The Substance — Coralie Fargeat, Jérôme Eltabet, Valentin Feron (MUBI)
• 9. Nickel Boys — Nicholas Monsour (Amazon MGM)
• 10. Challengers — Marco Costa (Amazon MGM)

Cinematography

1. Dune: Part Two — Greig Fraser (Warner Bros)
2. Nickel Boys — Jomo Fray (Amazon MGM)
3. The Brutalist — Lol Crawley (A24)
4. Emilia Pérez — Paul Guillaume (Netflix)
5. Gladiator II — John Mathieson (Paramount Pictures)

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• 6. A Complete Unknown — Phedon Papamichael (Searchlight Pictures)
• 7. Anora — Drew Daniels (NEON)
• 8. Blitz — Yorick Le Saux (Apple Original Films)
• 9. Conclave — Stéphane Fontaine (Focus Features)
• 10. Challengers — Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (Amazon MGM)

Costume Design

1. Wicked Part I — Paul Tazewell (Universal Pictures)
2. Dune: Part Two — Jacqueline West (Warner Bros)
3. Gladiator II — Janty Yates (Paramount Pictures)
4. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice — Colleen Atwood (Warner Bros)
5. Nosferatu — Linda Muir (Focus Features)

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• 6. Maria — Massimo Cantini Parrini (Netflix)
• 7. Blitz — Jacqueline Durran (Apple Original Films)
• 8. The Brutalist — Kate Forbes (A24)
• 9. Conclave — Lisy Christi (Focus Features)
• 10. Saturday Night — Danny Glicker (Sony Pictures)

Production Design

1. Gladiator II — Arthur Max (Paramount Pictures)
2. Dune: Part Two — Patrice Vermette (Warner Bros)
3. Saturday Night — Jess Gonchor (Sony Pictures)
4. The Brutalist — Judy Becker (A24)
5. Wicked Part I — Nathan Crowley (Universal Picture)

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• 6. Blitz — Adam Stockhausen (Apple Original Films)
• 7. Conclave — Suzie Davies (Focus Features)
• 8. A Complete Unknown — François Audouy (Searchlight Pictures)
• 9. Nosferatu — Craig Lathrop (Focus Features)
• 10. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice — Mark Scruton (Warner Bros)

Animated Feature

1. The Wild Robot (Dreamworks Animation)
2. Inside Out 2 (Pixar)
3. Memoir of a Snail (IFC Films)
4. Flow (Janus Films/Sideshow)
5. Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (Netflix)

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• 6. Piece by Piece (Focus Features)
• 7. Transformers One (Paramount Pictures)
• 8. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
• 9. Moana 2 (Disney)
• 10. Ultraman: Rising (Netflix

International Feature

1. Emilia Pérez – France (Netflix)
2. The Seed of the Sacred Fig – Germany (Neon)
3. I’m Still Here – Brazil (Sony Pictures Classics)
4. Kneecap – Ireland (Sony Pictures Classics)
5. Flow – Latvia (Janus Films/Sideshow)

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• 6. The Girl with the Needle – Denmark (MUBI)
• 7. Dahomey – Senegal (MUBI)
• 8. Sujo – Mexico (The Forge)
• 9. Grand Tour – Portugal (MUBI)
• 10. Armand – Norway (IFC Films)

Documentary Feature

1. Daughters (Netflix)
2. Black Box Diaries (MTV Documentary Films)
3. Dahomey (MUBI)
4. Sugarcane (National Geographic Documentary Films)
5. Piece by Piece (Focus Features)

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• 6. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros.)
• 7. No Other Land (ImmerGuteFilme)
• 8. The Commandant’s Shadow (HBO Documentary Films)
• 9. Separated (Submarine Deluxe)
• 10. Ernest Cole: Lost and Found (Magnolia Pictures)

For these next categories, I shall not only be predicting my Top 5, but also what I predict we will see be shortlisted for these categories:

Makeup & Hairstyling (10)

1. The Substance (MUBI)
2. Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros)
3. A Different Man (A24)
4. A Complete Unknown (Searchlight Pictures)
5. Nosferatu (Focus Features)
6. Wicked Part I (Universal Pictures)
7. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros)
8. The Apprentice (Briarcliff Entertainment)
9. Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
10. Sasquatch Sunset (Bleecker Street)

Original Score (20)

1. Dune: Part II — Hans Zimmer (Warner Bros)
2. Conclave — Volker Bertelmann (Focus Features)
3. The Brutalist — Daniel Blumberg (A24)
4. Emilia Pérez — Clément Ducol, Camille (Netflix)
5. Gladiator II — Harry Gregson-Williams (Paramount Pictures)
6. Challengers — Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (Amazon MGM)
7. The Wild Robot — Kris Bowers (Universal Pictures/Dreamworks Animation)
8. Blitz — Hans Zimmer (Apple Original Films)
9. Sing Sing — Bryce Dessner (A24)
10. The Room Next Door — Alberto Iglesias (Sony Pictures Classics)
11. Saturday Night — Jon Batiste (Sony Pictures)
12. Queer — Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (A24)
13. Saturday Night — Jon Batiste (Sony Pictures)
14. Nickel Boys — Nicholas Monsour (Amazon MGM)
15. Young Woman and the Sea — Amelia Warner (Walt Disney Pictures)
16. Anora — Matthew Hearon-Smith
17. September 5 — Lorenz Dangel (Paramount Pictures)
18. Inside Out 2 — Andrea Datzman (Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios)
19. Nosferatu — Robin Carolan (Focus Features)
20. The Substance — Raffertie (MUBI)

Original Song (15)

1. “El Mal” by Clement Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard from Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
2. “The Journey” by Diane Warren from The Six Triple Eight (Netflix)
3. “Like a Bird” by Abraham Alexander, Brandon Marcel & Adrian Quesada from Sing Sing (A24)
4. “Kiss the Sky” by Delacey, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack & Ali Tamposi from The Wild Robot (Universal Pictures/Dreamworks Animation)
5. “Mi Camino” by Clement Ducol and Camille from Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
6. “I Always Wanted a Brother” by TBD from Mufasa: The Lion King (Walt Disney Pictures)
7. “Piece by Piece” by Pharrell Williams from Piece by Piece (Focus Features)
8. “Never Too Late” by Elton John & Brandi Carlile from Elton John: Never Too Late (Walt Disney Pictures)
9. “Winter Coat” by Nicholas Britell, Steve McQueen, and Taura Stinson from Blitz (Apple Original Films)
10. “Forbidden Road” by Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler & Sacha Skarbek from Better Man (Paramount Pictures)
11. “We’re Back” by TBD from Moana 2 (Walt Disney Pictures)
12. “Double Life” by Pharrell Williams from Despicable Me 4 (Illumination/Universal Pictures)
13. “Compress/Regress” by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross & Luca Guadagnino from Challengers (Amazon MGM)
14. “Vaster Than Empires” by William Burroughs, Trent Reznor, and Atticus Ross from Queer (A24)
15. “Claw Machine” by Haley Dahl from I Saw the TV Glow (A24)

Sound (10)

1. Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros)
2. Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures)
3. A Complete Unknown (Searchlight Pictures)
4. Blitz (Apple Original Films)
5. Emilia Pérez (Netflix)
6. Civil War (A24)
7. Twisters (Paramount Pictures/Warner Bros)
8. The Brutalist (A24)
9. Wicked Part I (Universal Pictures)
10. The Substance (MUBI)

Visual Effects (10)

1. Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures)
2. Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros)
3. Mufasa: The Lion King (Walt Disney Pictures)
4. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Studios)
5. Blitz (Apple Original Films)
6. Twisters (Paramount Pictures/Warner Bros)
7. Wicked Part I (Universal Pictures)
8. Alien: Romulus (20th Century Studios)
9. Better Man (Paramount Pictures)
10. Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire (Warner Bros)