Oscar predictions 2026: Which films could compete for Best Picture next year?

That said, a little bit of speculation never did anyone any harm, and so we've rounded up a list of some of the films that might well be in contention when the time comes to hand out golden statuettes again next year.

Of course, it should be taken into account that – with the exception of one or two films – most of the titles listed below have not yet been screened, and so we're relying entirely on the names attached to indicate which films might be in the running.

It's widely likely that after some of these premiere they could drop off our predictions list entirely, and it's equally probable that several films will come out of nowhere to emerge as major contenders in the coming months.

But for the time being, read on for a list of films that could be up for Best Picture in 2026. If nothing else, it certainly points to an exciting year for new releases...

Wicked: For Good

This one seems a fairly safe bet for now. Given the major popular acclaim the first film received – and the fact that it managed 10 Oscar nods, including one for Best Picture – we'd be very surprised not to see Jon M Chu's follow-up in the running next year.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will return to their roles of Elphaba and Glinda for the sequel, which is adapted from the second act of the hit stage show and includes some brand new musical numbers along with beloved favourites.

Mickey 17

Despite receiving broadly strong reviews, Bong Joon-ho's sci-fi film starring Robert Pattinson – which opens in UK cinemas this week – already seems like something of a long shot, in part due to its somewhat bonkers nature.

But given director Bong's previous film Parasite was such an Oscars sensation, famously being crowned Best Picture winner in one of the most exciting Oscars moments of recent times, we wouldn't rule it out completely yet. Could he do it again?

Sorry, Baby

It's been common in recent years for a film that premiered at Sundance Film Festival to make it into the Oscars conversation, with Jesse Eisenberg's A Real Pain narrowly missing out on a Best Picture nod this year despite nominations elsewhere (and a Best Supporting Actor win for Kieran Culkin).

The best reviewed of this year's Sundance crop was this drama from first-time director Eva Victor – who also stars. It follows a college professor as she tries to recover from a sexual assault and has so far been widely praised.

One Battle After Another

The combination of Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio – in their first collaboration together – looks like it could be catnip for Oscars voters, especially when we consider that it is the popular auteur's most expensive film to date.

Reportedly based on Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland, an exact plot synopsis has not yet been provided, but we do know that the cast also includes Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Alana Haim and Benicio del Toro. Anderson is yet to make a bad movie, and has been in the running for Oscars glory several times before – could this be the one to win him gold?

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Both previous Avatar films have received Best Picture nominations in addition to their well-publicised commercial success, and so the third seems a good bet to follow suit at this stage.

Not much has been given away as to exact plot details, but David Thewlis and Oona Chaplin are joining the existing cast, which already includes Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña and Kate Winslet, and we can be fairly certain James Cameron will have plenty more spectacle in store for us.

Die, My Love

Scottish director Lynne Ramsay has only made four films in her 25-year career – Ratcatcher, Morvern Callar, We Need to Talk About Kevin and You Were Never Really Here – but each of them has been hugely acclaimed.

Her status as more of an arthouse auteur has seen her overlooked when it comes to Oscars in the past, but the combination of a big-name cast (including Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson) and the fact that the Academy has begun to embrace more left-field options in recent years means it could be a decent bet.

Adapted by a novel of the same name by Ariana Harwicz, the synopsis reads: "In a farmhouse on the Montana countryside, a woman has mental health issues as her marriage breaks up."

Materialists

Celine Song made one of the most acclaimed directorial debuts of recent times with her Oscar-nominated romantic drama Past Lives – so it will be interesting to see if she can go two for two with her second feature, Materialists.

The film stars Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal, and is reportedly a more traditional romantic comedy than her earlier effort, following a matchmaking expert who falls into a toxic love triangle.

Bugonia

The creative partnership between writer and director Yorgos Lanthimos and actor Emma Stone has already garnered several Oscar nominations, including a Best Actress win for Stone for 2023's Poor Things.

Their fourth collaboration is a remake of a 2003 South Korean sci-fi comedy titled Save the Green Planet!, and follows two conspiracy-obsessed men who kidnap the CEO of a major company when they become convinced that she's an alien who wants to destroy Earth.

The Ballad of a Small Player

After two Best Picture nominations in a row for All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave (both of which also won Best Film at the BAFTAs), anything Edward Berger makes should be considered a possible contender.

His next effort is a psychological thriller about a gambler and a con artist who flee Britain for Macau, with Tilda Swinton and Colin Farrell in the starring roles.

Caught Stealing

Darren Aronofsky can be something of a divisive filmmaker, but he has seen two of his films nominated for Best Picture in the past – Black Swan and The Fighter – and so we wouldn't bet against his latest movie being in the race next year.

Starrung Austin Butler, Zöe Kravitz and Matt Smith, the crime thriller follows a former baseball player who finds himself immersed in criminality in New York in the 1990s.

After the Hunt

Luca Guadagnino's two 2024 releases – Challengers and Queer – received plenty of acclaim but ultimately fell short when it came to the awards conversation, but the prolific Italian director is already back with another film that could be one to look out for.

After the Hunt stars Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield, and follows a college professor grappling with her secretive past when one of her colleagues is faced with a serious accusation.

Eleanor the Great

Scarlett Johansson has already been nominated for a couple of acting Oscars, and this year she's making her directorial debut with this drama starring veteran actress June Squibb as a 90-year-old Floridian woman who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a 19-year-old student in New York City.

Not too much more has been revealed at this stage, but the early buzz is good, so it's definitely one to keep an eye on.

Alpha

Not so long ago, the idea of a film from a French director known for her works of extreme body horror being an Oscars contender would have seemed like a pipe dream – but the success of The Substance has changed everything.

Not too much has been revealed about Alpha, but the synopsis for this third film from Raw and Titane director Julia Ducournau reads: "As the AIDS epidemic unfolds in 1980s New York City, one of 11-year-old Alpha's parents falls ill, forcing her to confront loss and her own mortality for the first time."

The Smashing Machine

The Safdie brothers are no longer working together, but both have new films expected this year, and each of them could well finds themselves vying for awards success.

This sports drama comes from younger brother Benny Safdie and sees Dwayne Johnson star as former wrestler and MMA fighter Mark Kerr. Johnson has talked about a movie away from blockbuster hits to make more artistically minded films; could he emerge as a surprise acting nominee?

Marty Supreme

Meanwhile, Josh Safdie is teaming up with Timothée Chalamet for this film – also a sports drama – which is reportedly loosely based on the life of champion table tennis player Marty Reisman.

Chalamet has already been in an incredible seven Best Picture nominated films at the age of 29, so any film he's in stands a decent chance of making the cut – can he make it eight?

Jay Kelly

After his rather misfiring adaptation of Don DeLillo's White Noise, Marriage Story writer/director Noah Baumbach will be hoping to return to the Oscars stage with this drama starring George Clooney, Adam Sandler and Laura Dern.

Plot details are being kept under wraps for now, but we're expecting it to debut on Netflix sometime this autumn.

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

There are high hopes for this new film from Columbus and After Yang director Kogonada, not least because of the impressive cast led up by Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell.

We don't know much about the plot so far, other than the fact it's being billed as a romantic fantasy, but it's another one that's worth keeping an eye on as the director looks to add some Oscars nominations to the acclaim he's already received for his first two features.

Frankenstein

Any time Guillermo del Toro – whose The Shape of Water won Best Picture in 2018 – makes a new film, it's bound to at least be in the conversation around awards, and his passion project is definitely likely to have a decent shot.

Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth are leading the cast for his reimagining of the Mary Shelley's iconic gothic horror story.

The Bride

Speaking of Frankenstein, Maggie Gyllenhaal is writing and directing this new film inspired by the 1935 classic The Bride of Frankenstein, with Jessie Buckley starring in the title role and Christian Bale playing Frankenstein's Monster.

The Oscars have clearly shown that they are more open to horror stories now than ever, and coupled with the film's big-name cast and its connection to classic Hollywood history, this is another that's worth looking out for.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

It couldn't, could it? This is something of a wild card, as no previous Mission: Impossible film has been up for Best Picture, or even really been in the running.

But the fact this is being tipped as Tom Cruise's last outing as Ethan Hunt – not to mention an Oscar nomination for Top Gun: Maverick a couple of years ago – means that there's every chance the Academy could put aside its reservations about action cinema on this occasion.

Highest 2 Lowest

Spike Lee is another director who's always worth keeping an eye on, especially when he's collaborating with Denzel Washington – and so this new film from the Do the Right Thing and BlacKkKlansman filmmaker is definitely one to watch.

A "reinterpretation" of Akira Kurosawa 1963 film High and Low – which follows events before and after a kidnapping – the cast also includes Jeffrey Wright and Dean Winters.

The Phoenician Scheme

Although his short The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar was successful last year, it's been a while since a Wes Anderson feature really made a noise in the awards race – so perhaps this latest effort from the eccentric auteur could be the one to return him to the conversation.

The typically stacked ensemble cast includes Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Riz Ahmed, and Scarlett Johansson, and the film will apparently see him tackle the espionage genre.

Hamnet

Another previous Oscar winner with a new film out is Nomadland's Chloé Zhao who will be hoping to return to form with this adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's acclaimed novel following her misfire with Eternals.

The film stars Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley and tells a fictional story about the life of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes Shakespeare, following the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet.

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