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The Oscar nominations 2026 have been confirmed. The 98th Academy Awards are set to celebrate excellent movies released last year.
In this year’s crop of nominees, there were many of the expected picks (“One Battle After Another’s” raft of nods was widely tipped), but as is typically the case, there was a handful of surprises that the numerous predictors didn’t account for. Not to mention, there’s also more than a couple of disappointing subs. Not every award-worthy film felt the love.
So, I asked the Tom’s Guide streaming team to pick out their biggest Oscar nominations 2026 snubs and surprises, and the results were particularly diverse. Proving that even when the Academy nominates a load of great movies for an Oscar, there’s always going to be great films that miss out.
Oscar nominations 2026 - biggest snubs
Chase Infiniti’s debut dream dashed
Chase Infiniti’s omission feels actively rude. All season, she looked poised to join the ultra-rare club of actresses nominated for Best Actress for their very first film screen role (including Julie Andrews, Barbra Streisand and Gabourey Sidibe). It was a gamble to campaign her as lead, despite appearing in just 19 percent of the film, and it mostly worked since she netted nominations from SAG, Critics’ Choice and the Golden Globes. But it didn’t pay off in the one place it really mattered. This year, it seems like the Academy is all about honoring established talent, and unfortunately, Infiniti was left in the dust. — Kelly Woo
‘Weapons’ proves the Oscar voters still aren’t ready for horror
Horror movies are always going to fight an uphill battle at the Oscars, but even I thought that ‘Weapons’ had a real shot at a Best Picture nomination. If you asked most people who had seen it, it was in their top 10 movies of the year lists (including mine). While ‘F1’ getting a Best Picture nomination over it is on par for the Academy, it’s tough to say that it’s deserved. — Malcom McMillan
'Warfare', the Oscars ignored your incredible sound but I didn’t
“Warfare” was in my top five movies of 2025, and I’m genuinely shocked it didn’t receive a single nomination. Coming out of my screening, I instantly knew the sound design was Oscar-worthy, and while I believe “Sinners” deserves to win out of the nominees, I’m gutted that “Warfare” didn’t get the recognition it rightfully deserves. It’s unquestionably one of the best war movies ever made, wasting no time letting chaos unfold through its immersive soundscape that pulls you into the action. — Alix Blackburn
Marty reigns supreme, but Odessa A’zion misses out
Look, I know that “Marty Supreme” is dominated by Marty Mauser, and I’m very much rooting for Timothée Chalamet to bag that Oscar for his tour de force turn at the helm of Josh Safdie’s electric drama, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that Odessa A'zion isn't up for Supporting Actress. As the chaotic yet loyal Rachel Mizler, A’zion really excelled, standing out in a movie where it’d be so easy to be overshadowed. At least she’s up for a SAG (Actor) award. — Martin Shore
Why does the Academy hate Paul Mescal?
Paul Mescal’s soulful and inarguably pivotal role in “Hamnet” being snubbed for Best Supporting Actor has me wondering what he's done to deserve such industry scorn. The Irish actor should have won an Oscar for his work in “Aftersun,” and his turn the following year in “All of Us Strangers” was at least worthy of a nomination. I know that the field is stacked this year, and I’m happy for Delroy Lindo’s inclusion, but at the expense of Mescal is not the call I’d have made. “Hamnet’s” devastating third act simply doesn’t work without his stellar performance. — Rory Mellon
Oscar nominations 2026 - biggest surprises
Elle Fanning rides a wave of support for ‘Sentimental Value’
Elle Fanning’s nomination isn’t a shock so much as a gentle swerve. She gave a strong performance in a fairly small role in “Sentimental Value,” but much of the pre-Oscar buzz in the supporting actress category centered on her co-star Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas. Instead, the Academy revealed how much it loved Joachim Trier’s quiet family drama; every major cast member landed a nomination. And in my head canon, it also feels like a slight tip of the hat to how good Fanning was in “Predator: Badlands.” — Kelly Woo
Delroy Lindo finally gets the credit he deserves
I can’t decide what makes me happier about Delroy Lindo getting an Oscar nomination. Is it that a criminally underrated actor is finally getting the recognition he deserves? Or is it that the supporting performances in "Sinners" didn’t escape the Academy’s notice? Either way, this movie doesn’t work without the ensemble cast batting a thousand, and Lindo’s performance as Delta Slim is no exception. Glad to see it honored. — Malcom McMillan
'Jurassic World Rebirth's' plastic dinosaurs don't deserve an Oscar nod
It makes sense for “Jurassic World Rebirth” to be nominated for Best Visual Effects, given that a movie about dinosaurs requires such awe-inspiring technical wizardry to bring them to life. But we’ve seen dinosaurs on the big screen plenty of times before, and this time around, I don’t think it’s truly anything special. In some shots, “Rebirth” even makes the dinos look plastic, and during the big action sequences, you can tell some of the CGI is off. Maybe it’s just me, but the lack of substance in this blockbuster also dulls the impact of everything else. Sorry, “Jurassic World Rebirth,” but the visual magic just isn’t there. — Alix Blackburn
I loved ‘Elio’ — and apparently the Academy did too
As an ardent champion of Pixar’s kaleidoscopic sci-fi adventure, I am thrilled to see “Elio” score a nod for Best Animated Feature. I’d be genuinely shocked to see it go the distance — it doesn’t have the box office clout of “Zootopia 2” or the popular appeal of Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters" — but having spent last year feeling disappointed that it failed to ever really cut through, I’m at least buoyed to see that voters cared about this charming and visually impressive intergalactic caper enough to push it into the category. — Martin Shore
'Wicked For Good' did even worse than I thought it would
I was under no magical illusions that “Wicked: For Good” was going to repeat the Oscar success of its predecessor, which notched 10 nominations (including Best Picture) and two wins. But locked out of every single category? The Ozian magicdust has truly run out. “Wicked 2’s” absence looks even worse when you consider that Ariana Grande was an early frontrunner for Best Supporting Actress. Plus, the movie added two new original songs, likely in the hopes of securing a couple of "easy" Oscar nominations. Even as a huge fan of the first “Wicked,” I was disappointed with “For Good,” and I can’t say it deserved anything more. — Rory Mellon
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