On the morning of the 2026 Oscar nods, Variety spoke to this year’s contenders — including Amy Madigan for her supporting turn in “Weapons” and the entire crew from the familial drama “Sentimental Value” — about getting recognized by the Academy.

After such a strong year for movies, the brutal limitations of Oscar nominations were bound to have some big omissions. But there were several genuine shockers Thursday morning, including widely expected nominees like Ariana Grande and Paul Mescal missing out on nods in their respective acting categories.

The 2026 Oscar nominations for Best Picture are here, and it's quite a mix: Big-budget popcorn fare, indie darlings, and some movies that are clearly better than the competition. Trump vows 'big retaliation' as 'sell America' list grows Ryan Wedding arrested: FBI caught Olympic snowboarder Clint Eastwood meets his fate (full scene) - The Beguiled What are ‘exploding trees’?