It’s been a season of drug lords, witches, Russian oligarchs, and questionable medical procedures that promise to keep you young—and we’re not even talking about the awards show after parties yet. This morning, the Academy recruited Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott to announce the 2025 Academy Awards nominations. As always, there were some snubs and surprises. After what felt like a sleepy start, this has turned into a particularly competitive Oscars season, especially in the acting categories.
But first, the main contenders: cartel musical Emilia Pérez led the pack by cinching 13 nods overall (the all-time record for a single film is 14 nominations, earned only by Titanic, All About Eve, and La La Land). Brady Corbet’s three-and-a-half-hour-long drama The Brutalist and Jon M. Chu’s blockbuster musical Wicked: Part One shared second place, with both films’ leading stars (Adrien Brody, Cynthia Erivo, and Ariana Grande) nominated in the major acting categories. The Demi Moore-starring The Substance, Sean Baker’s Anora, Dune: Part Two, Nickel Boys, and I’m Still Here rounded out the coveted Best Picture category.
Most of those nominations were expected, but surprising additions and glaring omissions otherwise shook up the race. Below, read on for the biggest snubs and surprises of the 2025 Oscar nominations:
Snub: Daniel Craig
007 alum Daniel Craig took a big swing with his leading role in Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of William S. Burrough’s Queer, but for Oscars voters, it was a risk that ultimately didn’t pay off. He’ll have to settle for his Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and SAG Awards nominations.
Snub: Challengers
Guadagnino’s other film, the sexy Zendaya-starring tennis drama Challengers, received no love at all—not even for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s moody original score or Justin Kuritzkes’s original screenplay.
Surprise: Nickel Boys
RaMell Ross’s innovative and moving adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has strong support from professional critics but hasn’t received much buzz elsewhere. Cinching a Best Picture nomination is a pleasant surprise, given that Nickel Boys hasn’t yet made much of a splash at the box office.
Snub: Denzel Washington
Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II had its faults, but one of our greatest living actor’s turn as the charismatic, conniving Macrinus wasn’t one of them!
Surprise: Monica Barbaro
Snub: Selena Gomez
Despite nabbing two Golden Globes nominations this year (for Only Murders in the Building and Emilia Pérez), Gomez was shut out of the Oscars. Her performance in the Jacques Audiard musical—in which she spoke and sang in English and Spanish—has been polarizing, but the film has been a hit with awards voters all season. Gomez, however, still has the Best Actress award at Cannes, which she shared with her co-stars.
Snub: Nicole Kidman
Surprise: The Apprentice
When Sebastian Stan publicly shared that he wasn’t able to participate in Variety’s Actors on Actors series because no other thespian wanted to engage with a film about our current president, it seemed like The Apprentice was doomed. It turns out Oscars voters didn’t feel the same way, nominating both Stan (who plays Trump) and Succession star Jeremy Strong (as Trump’s mentor, Roy Cohn) in the Best Lead and Supporting Actor categories, respectively.
Snub: Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie put her all into portraying opera legend Maria Callas, dedicating seven months to intensive vocal training in order to properly sing in the Pablo Larraín film. Despite that—and biopics generally being catnip for Oscars voters—she was shut out of this year’s awards.
Surprise: Fernanda Torres
Snub: The Last Showgirl (Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis)
Surprise: Karla Sofía Gascón
The Oscars ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 2, at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater at 4 pm PT/7 pm ET and airing on ABC. Conan O’Brien will be hosting for the first time.
