SINNERS Shatters Oscar History with 16 Nominations and a Major Milestone for Warner Bros

Warner Bros just rewrote the Academy Awards record books. With the nominations for the 98th Academy Awards officially revealed, the studio’s latest heavyweight contender, Sinners, surged ahead of every film before it, landing an unprecedented 16 Oscar nominations and claiming the most nominated movie in Academy history.

That number doesn’t just top the competition this year, it eclipses a record that stood for decades. Sinners now sits alone at the top, surpassing the long-held benchmark of 14 nominations that once defined Oscar dominance.

The nominations span nearly every major category. Sinners is up for Best Picture, with Michael B. Jordan earning a Best Actor nomination for his performance. Wunmi Mosaku scored a nod for Supporting Actress, while Delroy Lindo landed Supporting Actor recognition. Ryan Coogler is a major presence in the race as well, nominated for both Director and Original Screenplay.

On the technical and creative side, the film picked up nominations for Music Score and Original Song for “I Lied To You,” along with Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Sound, Editing, Makeup and Hair, Casting, and Visual Effects.

It’s the kind of across-the-board recognition that only comes around once in a generation, and now it stands alone in Oscar history. I’ve gotta say that it’s pretty cool to see a vampire horror movie get so much Oscar love.

For Best Picture, the movie is up against Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, and Sentimental Value. Most of these are great films, so it’ll be interesting to see who wins.

Before Sinners broke through, the nominations record belonged to a trio of films. All About Eve was the first to hit 14 nominations back in 1950 and held that distinction for 47 years.

In 1997, Titanic matched the total, narrowly missing a chance to break the record after failing to land a screenplay nomination. Nearly two decades later, La La Land joined the club with 14 nominations of its own.

Those films each carved out unique places in Oscar lore. All About Eve went on to win six Oscars, including Best Picture. Titanic famously dominated with 11 wins and also took home Best Picture. La La Land earned six Oscars as well, but its legacy is forever tied to one of the most uncomfortable moments in Academy Awards history.

It was announced as Best Picture and celebrated on stage for about a minute and 45 seconds until the correct envelope was revealed and Moonlight was named the actual winner. That twist left La La Land holding the record as the most nominated film to never win Best Picture.

Now Sinners has pushed past them all. Whether it converts those 16 nominations into a dominant Oscar night remains to be seen.