Oscar history was made today before a single prize was handed out, as Sinners secured 16 nominations — a record-breaking total on a triumphant day for backer Warner Bros. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the genre-busting tale of blues and vampires in 1930s Mississippi beat a previous best of 14, jointly held by All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land.
With the question of its ownership filling news pages, the 2026 nominations belonged to Warners, whose titles delivered a remarkable haul of 30 nods, equalling its own record set in 2005. Almost all were shared between Sinners and Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which claimed a further 13 nominations.
Both films are now frontrunners for the blue-ribbon Best Picture award, with Coogler and Anderson also shortlisted for Best Director.