“Sinners” made good.
Ryan Coogler’s Southern Gothic vampire tale leads the pack of contenders for the 98th Academy Awards with 16 nominations, including best picture, setting a record for the most in Oscar history.
“Sinners” crushed the previous record of 14 nominations held by “All About Eve” (1950), “Titanic” (1997) and “La La Land” (2016).
Coogler received nominations for best director and best screenplay. Michael B. Jordan, who stars in a dual role as twin brothers who open up a “juke joint” in the Mississippi Delta in the early 1930s, nabbed a best lead actor nod. Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku are up for their supporting performances.
Read the full list of nominees here.
The film was also recognized for achievement in cinematography, visual effects, sound, production design, editing, casting, costume design, song, score, and makeup and hairstyling. (The casting category is new.)
In a joint statement, Coogler and his co-producers — Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian — said they were “deeply grateful to be recognized by our peers and alongside so many artists we admire.”
“What has meant just as much is the way 'Sinners' has connected with audiences around the world, the response has been truly humbling,” they said. “This film exists because of the extraordinary collective effort of artists and collaborators who gave everything to the work.”
“Sinners” was widely expected to dominate the list of nominees after it impressed critics and dazzled audiences. It was last year’s seventh-highest-grossing title at the North American box office, raking in nearly $280 million. It pulled in $88 million more abroad for a worldwide gross of $368 million.
Warner Bros., the studio that distributed “Sinners,” likewise put up impressive numbers Thursday, notching 13 nominations for Paul Thomas Anderson’s seriocomic thriller “One Battle After Another” and a best supporting actress nod for Amy Madigan’s gleefully deranged performance in the horror film “Weapons.”
Netflix and Paramount Skydance are both vying to take control of Warner Bros., a 102-year-old studio with a sprawling portfolio that includes HBO. In a memo to Warner Bros. Discovery staff members Thursday, CEO David Zaslav hailed the company's commanding position in the Oscar race.
"This is a truly golden moment for our company and also a powerful validation of our strategy: to believe in movies, to believe in original storytelling, and to believe in the theatrical experience," Zaslav said in part.
Coogler and Jordan are frequent collaborators, dating to Coogler’s feature debut, “Fruitvale Station,” in 2013. Jordan starred in Coogler’s “Creed,” a reboot of the “Rocky” franchise, and he played a key supporting role in Coogler’s culture-conquering Marvel epic, “Black Panther.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the voting body behind the Oscars, traditionally shies away from recognizing horror films, but that appears to be changing. “The Substance,” a gross-out body-horror satire starring Demi Moore, landed a best picture nomination last year. “Sinners” continues the trend.
In this year’s best picture race, “Sinners” and “One Battle” face off against eight other titles: “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value” and “Train Dreams.”
