Which movies actually could win the best picture Oscar? Our top 5. Brian Truitt, USA TODAYSun, March 8, 2026 at 2:50 PM UTC 7 It's the final countdown. For a lot of folks, figuring out what'll be named best picture on March 15 at the 98th Academy Awards (ABC and Hulu, 7 p.m. ET/4 PT) is a relatively recent conundrum. Yet while they've only been thinking about it since late January, film critics like yours truly have been thinking about this slate of 10 nominated films for much of the last year.
Which movies actually could win the best picture Oscar? Our top 5.
Brian Truitt, USA TODAYSun, March 8, 2026 at 2:50 PM UTC
7
It's the final countdown.
For a lot of folks, figuring out what'll be named best picture on March 15 at the 98th Academy Awards (ABC and Hulu, 7 p.m. ET/4 PT) is a relatively recent conundrum. Yet while they've only been thinking about it since late January, film critics like yours truly have been thinking about this slate of 10 nominated films for much of the last year. That's a lot of hemming and hawing, a lot of second- and triple-guessing, and a bevy of rewatches to gauge the worthiness of being part of a historically significant canon. (Thankfully, they're all at least pretty good – no "Bohemian Rhapsody" lurking among them to worry about possibly winning.)
So what's the best of the best among this year's Oscar crop? Here are my top five:
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1. 'Sinners'
Smoke (Michael B. Jordan, center), flanked by brother Stack (also Jordan) and pal Cornbread (Omar Miller), is wary of uninvited guests in the period horror film "Sinners."
"The Life of Chuck" might have been the best movie of 2025, but "Sinners" was a close second, so it makes the top of my ballot. Ryan Coogler's vampire-filled musical period epic won best ensemble at the Actor Awards, making the Oscar race downright scintillating in the last weeks. Michael B. Jordan delivers a sensational dual performance as twin gangsters staving off bloodsuckers at their juke joint's door. It's gory and bizarre but rousing and beautiful. And "Sinners" − which would be just the second horror movie in almost a century of Oscar history to win best picture − is the one film on this list that really feels like it'll influence a generation of filmmakers.
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2. 'Hamnet'
Jessie Buckley (center) stars as Shakespeare's grieving wife Agnes in Chloé Zhao's historical drama "Hamnet."
At the Oscars, never count out any movie that can totally wreck a viewer emotionally (see: "CODA," "Moonlight"). Jessie Buckley, a runaway choice for best actress, helps put an audience through the wringer with her heartbreaking portrayal as Shakespeare's wife dealing with the tragic death of their son. Add in Paul Mescal's solid turn as an absent Bard dad who deals with the loss in his own way, plus a cathartic final act, and director Chloé Zhao's gut-wrenching historical drama has a good chance of placing high on a lot of Oscar voters' lists.
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3. 'Frankenstein'
Jacob Elordi gives a touching portrayal as the Creature in Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein."
While Guillermo del Toro has won the category before – with "The Shape of Water" – this thoughtful adaptation of Mary Shelley's masterwork is his greatest hit. The "Frankenstein" mythos has been done and redone for almost as long as Hollywood has been around, but del Toro creates an all-around technical achievement – cinematography, costumes, production design, oh, my! – as his egotistical scientist (Oscar Isaac) crafts a monster. Jacob Elordi's sensational performance as the Creature is just the cherry on top of a familiar tale told exquisitely.
4. 'Sentimental Value'
Renate Reinsve (left) and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas are sisters trying to figure out how to mend a relationship with their estranged father in "Sentimental Value."
Joachim Trier's wry and moving Norwegian drama smacks of the days of "Terms of Endearment" and "Ordinary People," with a well-acted family story where there needs to be some serious hugging-it-out so a dysfunctional family can come together. Stellan Skarsgård plays an aging filmmaker whose selfish past led to an estrangement from his daughters and who wants to make a movie inspired by their mom. Renate Reinsve is the determined stage actress who's not having it, while Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas soars as the sibling trying to mend severely broken fences.
1 / 0Every Oscar best-picture winner, ever1928/29: "The Broadway Melody" | Bessie Love and Charles King star in the musical that was the first sound film to win.5. 'One Battle After Another'
Leonardo DiCaprio plays a revolutionary who needs to get his explosive groove back in "One Battle After Another."
People who love Paul Thomas Anderson's politically charged action dramedy adore it, which has given it a lot of momentum throughout awards season. And it's definitely got the resume – with top prizes from British Academy Film Awards, Golden Globes, plus the producers' and directors' guilds – to go all the way. Leonardo DiCaprio is back in Oscar-ready form as a stoner former revolutionary who is left by his spirited love (Teyana Taylor) and struggles to save his daughter (fabulous newcomer Chase Infiniti) from a dastardly nemesis (Sean Penn). It's an inspired film built to meet an angry moment.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oscar best picture 2026 nominees – 5 movies that could win
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Published: March 8, 2026 at 11:09PM on Source: PRIME TIME
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