Rounding out the best-picture category were “Don’t Look Up,” Adam McKay’s climate change satire; “King Richard,” starring Will Smith as the tenacious father of tennis prodigies Venus and Serena Williams; “CODA,” the coming-of-age story of a hearing teenager raised by deaf parents; “Licorice Pizza,” Paul Thomas Anderson’s nostalgic tale set in the 1970s San Fernando Valley; “Drive My Car,” the Japanese drama focused on an unexpected bond between a young driver and an actor she chauffeurs; and “Nightmare Alley,” Guillermo del Toro’s version of the thriller about a carnival con man.
In another pandemic year that kept audiences mostly at home and out of theaters, streaming services provided a big boost to best-picture hopefuls: “The Power of the Dog” and “Don’t Look Up” were available on Netflix, “Dune” and “King Richard” had a temporary home on HBO Max and “CODA” streamed on Apple TV Plus.
Campion, who was nominated for best director alongside Spielberg, Branagh, Anderson and Ryusuke Hamaguchi for “Drive My Car,” became the first woman to be nominated for a second time in that category.
Spielberg also picked up his 11th nomination for best picture, the most for an individual producer. And Denzel Washington, who stars in “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” continued his own personal record as the most nominated Black actor in Oscars history.
The best-song category will be star-studded this year: Beyoncé picked up her first Academy Award nomination for “Be Alive” from “King Richard,” while Billie Eilish also made her Oscar nom debut with “No Time To Die” from the James Bond film of the same name. While the smash hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Disney’s “Encanto” was inexplicably not submitted for consideration, Lin-Manuel Miranda still got a nod for the film’s “Dos Oruguitas.”
And in other Oscars fun facts, the academy confirmed that Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”) and Penélope Cruz (“Parallel Mothers”) are now the sixth married couple to be nominated for acting awards in the same year. (Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, both nominated for “The Power of the Dog,” are also engaged.)
The Oscars will air March 27 on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern. The network has already confirmed that for the first time in three years, the ceremony will have a host; Variety reported that the producers are considering the idea of splitting the job among multiple people.
Read our analysis of the top categories below.
Best picture
“Belfast”
“The Power of the Dog”
“West Side Story”
“Licorice Pizza”
“Dune”
“King Richard”
“CODA”
“Don’t Look Up”
“Drive My Car”
“Nightmare Alley”
Analysis: There are no surprises here, really. Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical “Belfast” and Jane Campion’s calculated “The Power of the Dog” were each considered a front-runner for this category, the latter racking up the most nominations of any film. A few other contenders were also directed by academy favorites, including the “West Side Story” remake (Steven Spielberg), the Bradley Cooper-starring adaptation of “Nightmare Alley” (Guillermo del Toro) and the nostalgic coming-of-age film “Licorice Pizza.” (Paul Thomas Anderson, who has landed twice as many screenplay nods, four, in the past as he has best picture.)
“CODA” landing a best picture nomination is a remarkable feat both for director Sian Heder and the deaf community, given that the intimate feature centers on the family dynamic of a teenager who is the only hearing person in her family. Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car,” the sole international feature to land a nod here, was named last year’s best film by the National Society of Film Critics.
Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard” and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune,” both well received and distributed by Warner Bros., boost the presence of streaming services on the Oscars stage; due to the pandemic, the films were released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. Adam McKay’s polarizing climate satire “Don’t Look Up” joined “The Power of the Dog” on Netflix, where it made quite a splash.
Best director
Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza”
Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story”
Analysis: This is a race to watch. It’s easy to take artists as established as Steven Spielberg for granted, but the lively direction of “West Side Story” served as a reminder of his immense talent. The academy’s love for “Belfast” extended not only to Kenneth Branagh as a screenwriter but also as a director (which will maybe overshadow the mixed reviews for his more recent release, “Death on the Nile”). This is Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s first best-director nomination, Jane Campion’s second (after “The Piano” in 1994) and Paul Thomas Anderson’s third (after “There Will Be Blood” in 2007 and “Phantom Thread” in 2017). Campion’s nod for “The Power of the Dog” makes her the first woman in Oscars history to be nominated for best director more than once.
Best actress
Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos”
Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Olivia Colman, “The Lost Daughter”
Penélope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers”
Kristen Stewart, “Spencer”
Analysis: Nicole Kidman as Hollywood icon Lucille Ball was a shoo-in — as was Olivia Colman, expertly unsettling in “The Lost Daughter” and the category’s winner just three years ago. Critics were split on “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” but the academy loves a drastic physical transformation. The most notable inclusions here are Penélope Cruz, whose subtle performance in “Parallel Mothers” earned praise but still somehow feels underrated, and Kristen Stewart, whose tumultuous take on Princess Diana was snubbed by the BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild awards.
Best actor
Will Smith, “King Richard”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog”
Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick … Boom!”
Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”
Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos”
Analysis: Tough luck to anyone running against Denzel Washington, particularly when he’s up for a Shakespearean showcase directed by a Coen brother. But the others in this category still pull their weight. After starring in some real duds in the past several years, Will Smith shone in “King Richard,” about the persistence of famed tennis coach (and father) Richard Williams. Javier Bardem wasn’t the most obvious choice to play Desi Arnaz — a knee-jerk reaction to the casting news was the lack of resemblance — but has played some of his most notable dramatic roles in the past with a touch of comedy. Andrew Garfield proved himself a reliable, moving performer as Jonathan Larson in “Tick, Tick … Boom!,” while Benedict Cumberbatch might have surprised audiences with the harsh exterior and buried trauma he brought to a 1920s rancher in “The Power of the Dog.”
Best supporting actress
Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”
Kirsten Dunst, “The Power of the Dog”
Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard”
Jessie Buckley, “The Lost Daughter”
Judi Dench, “Belfast”
Analysis: This is Dame Judi Dench’s eighth Oscar nomination, but it doesn’t feel like hers to win. She’s got stiff competition in Ariana DeBose, who follows Rita Moreno’s Oscar-winning Anita in the original adaptation of “West Side Story” but somehow managed to make the fiery character her own, and Jessie Buckley, whose star has quickly risen since her breakout role in 2018’s “Wild Rose.” Kirsten Dunst and Aunjanue Ellis both stole their movies — Dunst as the new wife of a rancher, crumbling under pressure, and Ellis as Brandi Williams, the loving, protective mother of tennis stars Venus and Serena.
Best supporting actor
Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog”
Troy Kotsur, “CODA”
Ciarán Hinds, “Belfast”
Jesse Plemons, “The Power of the Dog”
J.K. Simmons, “Being the Ricardos”
Analysis: J.K. Simmons is the unexpected supporting actor contender here, nominated for his take on the “I Love Lucy” actor William Frawley; the more wishful among us might have hoped for Ben Affleck, arguably the most successful performer in Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel.” The other four actors in this category earned buzz throughout award season, whether Ciarán Hinds’s loving grandfather in “Belfast,” Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee’s stepfather-stepson duo in “The Power of the Dog,” or Troy Kotsur’s tenderhearted father in “CODA.” This nomination makes Kotsur the first deaf male actor to land an Oscar nod, according to Deadline.
Best original screenplay
“Belfast”
“King Richard”
“Licorice Pizza”
“Don’t Look Up”
“The Worst Person in the World”
Analysis: The most notable entry here is “The Worst Person in the World,” also nominated for best international feature, which has earned tons of buzz ahead of its upcoming release. It’s the third entry in Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s Oslo trilogy, and joins “Licorice Pizza” in presenting a nuanced, sometimes thorny look at a 20-something woman trying to make sense of what she wants in life.
Best adapted screenplay
“The Power of the Dog”
“CODA”
“Dune”
“Drive My Car”
Analysis: Joining the multi-nominated titles here is “The Lost Daughter,” for which lead actress Olivia Colman and supporting actress Jessie Buckley were both recognized. Writer-director Maggie Gyllenhaal got explicit permission from pseudonymous author Elena Ferrante to change elements of the story as she saw fit, not only shifting the location from Italy to Greece but also adding layers to the main character, Leda (played by Buckley in her younger years and Colman in the present), that better represented her difficult emotional journey cinematically.
Best international feature film
“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom,” Bhutan
“Flee,” Denmark
“The Hand of God,” Italy
“Drive My Car,” Japan
“The Worst Person in the World,” Norway
Best original song
“Down to Joy” from “Belfast,” Van Morrison
“Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto,” Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days,” Diane Warren
“Be Alive” from “King Richard,” DIXSON and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
“No Time To Die” from “No Time To Die,” Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Best visual effects
“Dune”
“Free Guy”
“No Time To Die”
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
“Spider-Man: No Way Home”
Best cinematography
“The Power of the Dog”
“Dune”
“West Side Story”
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
“Nightmare Alley”
Best production design
“Dune”
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Power of the Dog”
“West Side Story”
Best makeup and hairstyling
“Coming 2 America”
“Cruella”
“Dune”
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
“House of Gucci”
Best original score
“Don’t Look Up”
“Dune”
“Encanto”
“Parallel Mothers”
“The Power of the Dog”
Best documentary short subject
“Audible”
“Lead Me Home”
“The Queen of Basketball”
“Three Songs for Benazir”
“When We Were Bullies”
Best animated short film
“Affairs of the Art”
“Bestia”
“Boxballet”
“Robin Robin”
“The Windshield Wiper”
Best live-action short film
“Ala Kachuu - Take and Run”
“The Dress”
“The Long Goodbye”
“On My Mind”
“Please Hold”
Best editing
“Dune”
“The Power of the Dog”
“Don’t Look Up”
“King Richard”
“Tick, Tick … Boom!”
Bethonie Butler and Helena Andrews-Dyer contributed to this report.
An earlier version of this article stated that Rita Moreno won an Oscar for her role as Maria in "West Side Story." She played Anita. It also reported that Olivia Colman was an Oscar winner twice over. Colman won once, in 2019, and was also nominated last year.
