Hollywood is on edge. These days, the film industry is racked with anxiety about impending corporate mergers, uneven box-office returns, the rise of artificial intelligence and other nail-biting twists.
But amid all the angst, America’s movie capital can still count on at least one time-tested tradition: Oscar season.
The film academy’s nearly 10,000 voting members will soon cast their Oscars ballots in more than 20 categories, including a new one recognizing achievement in casting. The nominees for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on Jan. 22, with the ceremony to follow on March 12.
Here’s a look at a dozen of the most likely contenders — and how you can watch them before the show. In alphabetical order:
'Avatar: Fire and Ash'
The third installment in James Cameron’s money-minting science-fiction franchise finds Na’vi couple Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) fending off new threats to their family and way of life. The first two “Avatar” blockbusters each competed for the best picture prize. Cameron’s latest might complete the trifecta.
How to watch: In theaters, and eventually on Disney+ and Hulu.
'Frankenstein'
Guillermo del Toro, global cinema’s patron saint of misunderstood monsters, brings Mary Shelley’s timeless Gothic fable to life in this richly realized adaptation starring Oscar Isaac as arrogant surgeon Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as his “Creature.” Del Toro’s acclaimed “The Shape of Water” won four Oscars in 2018, including best picture and best director.
How to watch: Netflix.
'Hamnet'
Chloé Zhao imagines the lives of William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley) as they grieve their young son in this tearjerker adapted from a novel by Maggie O’Farrell, who co-wrote the screenplay. Zhao has already made Hollywood history as the second of just three women to have won the best director Oscar, for 2020’s “Nomadland.”
How to watch: In theaters, and eventually on Peacock. (“Hamnet” was distributed by Focus Features, a unit of NBC News’ parent company, NBCUniversal.)
'It Was Just an Accident'
Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi, a political dissident who has repeatedly faced persecution in his home country, earned the top prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for this searing study of revenge and moral responsibility under a repressive government regime. “Accident” is France’s submission for the best international feature prize. It looks like a lock.
How to watch: In theaters, and eventually on Hulu.
'Marty Supreme'
Josh Safdie’s frenetic 1950s-set picaresque stars Timothée Chalamet as a wildly ambitious ping-pong player, the latest in the filmmaker’s gallery of strivers and hustlers. The eclectic supporting cast includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Fran Drescher and Kevin O’Leary, better known as “Mr. Wonderful” from “Shark Tank.” Chalamet is gunning for a best actor trophy.
How to watch: In theaters, and eventually on HBO Max.
'No Other Choice'
South Korean genre master Park Chan-Wook (“Oldboy”) skewers cutthroat corporate culture and late-capitalist malaise in this pitch-black comedic thriller about a laid-off paper company worker (Lee Byung-Hun) who takes increasingly desperate measures to get an edge in the job market.
How to watch: In theaters, and eventually on Hulu.
'One Battle After Another'
Paul Thomas Anderson’s seriocomic thriller, loosely adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland,” tracks a ragtag group of political revolutionaries (including Leonardo DiCaprio’s burnout single dad) as they face off against an old foe, a ruthless colonel played by Sean Penn. “One Battle” has topped one year-end best-of list after another. It’s currently the clear front-runner.
How to watch: HBO Max.
'The Secret Agent'
Brazil’s Kleber Mendonça Filho revisits the sociopolitical tumult of the 1970s, when his home country was governed by a brutal military dictatorship. In the film, a maverick scientific researcher (Wagner Moura) makes an enemy of a powerful regime-aligned businessman, forcing him to go on the run.
How to watch: In theaters, and eventually on Hulu.
'Sentimental Value'
Norwegian writer-director Joachim Trier (“The Worst Person in the World”) studies the complex ties between parents and children in this layered drama about a celebrated filmmaker (Stellan Skarsgård) struggling to make amends with his estranged daughter (Renate Reinsve), an actress who resents her father’s emotional neglect.
How to watch: In theaters, and eventually on Hulu.
'Sinners'
Ryan Coogler’s genre-mixing yarn follows twin brothers “Smoke” and “Stack” (Michael B. Jordan) as they confront a supernatural menace at their “juke joint” on the Mississippi Delta circa 1932. “Sinners” was a critical and commercial triumph, grossing more than $367 million at the worldwide box office and nabbing some of the most glowing reviews of the year.
How to watch: HBO Max.
'Train Dreams'
Joel Edgerton anchors this visually majestic drama, which spans 80 years in the life of a taciturn railroad worker scarred by profound loss. Clint Bentley, directing a script adapted from a Denis Johnson novella of the same name, marvels at the beauty of the American wilderness, even as it is radically transformed by industrialization and technological change.
How to watch: Netflix.
'Wicked: For Good'
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande put a spell on Thanksgiving weekend moviegoers with this sequel drawn from the second half of the Broadway smash. In the new installment, Elphaba (Erivo) tries to protect Oz’s besieged animal population from the duplicitous Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). Glinda (Grande) finds her loyalties divided.
How to watch: In theaters, and eventually on Peacock. (“Wicked: For Good” was distributed by Universal Pictures, a unit of NBC News’ parent company, NBCUniversal.)
Five other contenders
“Blue Moon,” Richard Linklater’s portrait of lyricist Lorenz Hart; “Bugonia,” Yorgos Lanthimos’s dark conspiracy satire; “Jay Kelly,” Noah Baumbach’s show business dramedy; “The Testament of Ann Lee,” Mona Fastvold’s biopic of the Shakers founder; and “Weapons,” Zach Cregger’s suburban horror tale.
