Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit THE COLLECTIVE.
2021 OSCARS PREDICTIONS:
BEST PICTURE
UPDATED: Sept. 24, 2020 (PRE-SEASON)
We bid farewell to more films from the 2020 calendar. “Black Widow,” “Eternals” and “West Side Story” go to the 2021 awards year while more films may be preparing for a shift. With that, Netflix’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” landed this week and planted its flag in the season. A movie of the moment, it may be the streaming platform’s most accessible film to voters. However, as their plates look increasingly full, will they be able to manage all these contenders in this unpredictable year? 2020 continues to be challenging.
† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories
Courtesy of Niko Tavernise/Netflix
AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE:
"Nomadland"(Searchlight Pictures)Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Chloé Zhao (producers)
"The Trial of the Chicago 7"(Netflix)Stuart M. Besser, Matt Jackson, Marc Platt, Tyler Thompson (producers)
"One Night in Miami..."(Amazon Studios)†Jess Wu Calder, Keith Calder, Jody Klein (producers)
"Mank"(Netflix)†David Fincher, Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth, Douglas Urbanski (producers)
"The Father"(Sony Pictures Classics)Philippe Carcassonne, Simon Friend, Jean-Louis Livi, David Parfitt, Christophe Spadone (producers)
"News of the World"(Universal Pictures)Gary Goetzman, Gregory Goodman, Gail Mutrux (producers)
"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"(Netflix)†Todd Black, Denzel Washington, Dany Wolf (producers)
"Da 5 Bloods"(Netflix)Jon Kilik, Spike Lee, Beatriz Levin, Lloyd Levin (producers)
"Judas and the Black Messiah"(Warner Bros.)†Charles D. King, Ryan Coogler, Shaka King (producers)
"Minari"(A24)Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Christina Oh (producers)
NEXT IN LINE CONTENDERS:
"Respect"(United Artists Releasing)Scott Bernstein, Harvey Mason Jr. (producers)
"Soul"(Pixar)Dana Murray (producer)
"Ammonite"(Neon)Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly (producers)
"The United States vs. Billie Holiday"(Paramount Pictures)Lee Daniels, Jordan Fudge, Tucker Tooley, Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Pamela Oas Williams (producers)
"On the Rocks"(Apple Plus/Neon)Sofia Coppola, Youree Henley (producers)
"No Time To Die"(United Artists Releasing)Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli (producers)
"French Exit"(Sony Pictures Classics)Thorsten Schumacher (producer)
"The White Tiger"(Netflix)†Ramin Bahrani, Mukul Deora (producers)
"Hillbilly Elegy"(Netflix)†Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Erica Huggins, Karen Lunder (producers)
"Promising Young Woman"(Focus Features)†Ben Browning, Emerald Fennell, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara, Ashley Fox (producers)
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.
TOP-TIER AWARDS CONTENDERS:
"Tenet"(Warner Bros.)Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan (producers)
"Mulan"(Disney Plus)Chris Bender, Jake Weiner, Jason T. Reed (producers)
"Pieces of a Woman"(Netflix)†Ashley Levinson, Aaron Ryder, Kevin Turen (producers)
"I'm Thinking of Ending Things"(Netflix)Anthony Bregman, Charlie Kaufman, Robert Salerno, Stephanie Azpiazu (producers)
"I'm Your Woman"(Amazon Studios)†Rachel Brosnahan, Jordan Horowitz (producers)
"Never Rarely Sometimes Always"(Focus Features)Adele Romanski, Sara Murphy (producers)
"Palm Springs"(Hulu/Neon)Chris Parker, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Dylan Sellers, Becky Sloviter, Jorma Taccone (producers)
"Herself"(Amazon Studios)†Rory Gilmartin, Ed Guiney, Sharon Horgan (producers)
"First Cow"(A24)Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani (producers)
"The Invisible Man"(Universal Pictures)Jason Blum, Kylie du Fresne (producers)
Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios
ALSO IN CONTENTION:
"Sound of Metal"(Amazon Studios)Bert Hamelinck, Sacha Ben Harroche, Bill Benz, Cathy Benz (producers)
"Everybody's Talking About Jamie"(20th Century Studios)Arnon Milchan, Mark Herbert, Peter Carlton (producers)
"The Personal History of David Copperfield"(Searchlight Pictures)Armando Iannucci, Kevin Loader (producers)
"Wonder Woman 1984"(Warner Bros.)†Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, Stephen Jones (producers)
"The Assistant"(Bleecker Street)Kitty Green, James Schamus, Scott Macaulay, P. Jennifer Dana, Ross Jacobson (producers)
"Greyhound"(Apple TV Plus)Gary Goetzman (producer)
"Wander Darkly"(Lionsgate)†Lynette Howell Taylor, Samantha Housman, Monica Levinson, Shivani Rawat (producers)
"The Outpost"(Screen Media Films)Paul Michael Merryman, Paul Tamasy, Marc Frydman, Jeffrey Greenstein, Jonathan Yunger, Les Weldon (producers)
"The Climb"(Sony Pictures Classics)Michael Angelo Covino, Noah Lang, Kyle Marvin (producers)
"Onward"(Pixar)Kori Rae (producer)
MORE AWARDS CONTENDERS:
"The Midnight Sky"(Netflix)†George Clooney, Grant Heslov (producers)
"Death on the Nile"(20th Century Studios)Kenneth Branagh, Judy Hofflund, Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Mark Gordon, Kevin J. Walshers (producers)
"Miss Juneteenth"(Vertical Entertainment)Toby Halbrooks, Tim Headington, Jeanie Igoe, James M. Johnston, Theresa Page, Neil Creque Williams (producers)
"The King of Staten Island"(Universal Pictures)Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel (producers)
"The Glorias"(Roadside Attractions)Lynn Hendee, Alex Saks, Julie Taymor (producers)
"Little Fish"(IFC Films)†Lia Burnan, Rian Cahill, Tim Headington, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Mattson Tomlin (producers)
"Martin Eden"(Kino Lorber)Pietro Marcello, Beppe Caschetto, Thomas Ordonneau, Michael Weber, Viola Fügen (producers)
"Babyteeth"(IFC Films)Alex White (producer)
"Happiest Season"(Sony Pictures)Marty Bowen, Isaac Klausner (producers)
"Coming 2 America"(Paramount Pictures)Kevin Misher, Brian Oliver (producers)
Photo provided by Neon / Image credit: Thatcher Keats
UNRANKED AWARDS CONTENDERS:
† = no release date scheduled / could be delayed / may not be eligible
†† = could be campaigned in lead or supporting categories / original or adapted screenplay categories
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners are selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). 17 branches are represented within the near 10,000 person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.