Our first set of predictions are always wildly divergent with a handful of agreements between us. Things will of course get more complex as the year goes on but this is of many monthly updates with our new predictions.

KEY:

Introductions

Wesley Lovell: And the fight for the 98th Oscars starts now. I put a lot of films on these lists, perhaps more so than I have in the past. I felt it important to list everything that could possibly be a contender and some things that have already done well critically that could end up pushing through. Most of these films won’t make it to the end. Some of them won’t even get released this year but at this point, this is how I see things.
Pete Patrick: First predictions are always a crap shoot. It will be interesting to see how many of these will hold up over the coming months.
Thomas LaTourette: At this point it really is guesswork. I have really only heard about The Phoenician Scheme because it is opening next month and Wicked: For Good that might score big noms. The first Wicked did well with nominations, and it will be interesting to see of it is as well received and gets as many nods as the first one did. It would be fun to see Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande repeat as nominees two years in a row, but that might not happen. Cannes may give some clarity like it did last year, but then we did not really believe it would then. It is always fun to watch it come together with time.

Best Picture

WLPPTL After the Hunt
WLPPTL The Ballad of a Small Player
WLPPTL Bugonia
WLPPTL Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL Highest 2 Lowest
WLPPTL Is This Thing On?
WLPPTL Jay Kelly
WLPPTL Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL Madden
WLPPTL Marty Supreme
WLPPTL On Swift Horses
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL The Phoenician Scheme
WLPPTL Sentimental Value
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Animated Feature

WLPPTL Dog Man
WLPPTL Elio
WLPPTL Endless Cookie
WLPPTL In Your Dreams
WLPPTL The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol
WLPPTL Zootopia 2

Best Directing

WLPPTL Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
WLPPTL Noah Baumbach – Jay Kelly
WLPPTL Edward Berger – The Ballad of a Small Player
WLPPTL Jon M. Chu – Wicked: For Good
WLPPTL Bill Condon – Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL Scott Cooper – Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL Bradley Cooper – Is This Thing On?
WLPPTL Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
WLPPTL Spike Lee – Highest 2 Lowest
WLPPTL Joachim Trier – Sentinmental Value
WLPPTL Chloë Zhao – Hamnet

Best Actor

WLPPTL Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
WLPPTL Willem Dafoe – Late Fame
WLPPTL Daniel Day-Lewis – Anemone
WLPPTL Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
WLPPTL Colin Farrell – The Ballad of a Small Player
WLPPTL Oscar Isaac – Frankenstein
WLPPTL Dwayne Johnson – The Smashing Machine
WLPPTL Diego Luna – Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL Paul Mescal – Hamnet
WLPPTL Denzel Washington – Highest 2 Lowest
WLPPTL Jeremy Allen White – Deliver Me from Nowhere

Best Actress

WLPPTL Cate Blanchett – Father, Mother, Sister, Brother
WLPPTL Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
WLPPTL Olivia Colman – The Roses
WLPPTL Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: For Good
WLPPTL Lucy Liu – Rosemead
WLPPTL Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
WLPPTL Julia Roberts – After the Hunt
WLPPTL June Squibb – Eleanor the Great
WLPPTL Emma Stone – Bugonia
WLPPTL Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another

Best Supporting Actor

WLPPTL Michael Cera – The Phoenician Scheme
WLPPTL Colman Domingo – Michael
WLPPTL Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
WLPPTL Andrew Garfield – After the Hunt
WLPPTL Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
WLPPTL Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly
WLPPTL Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
WLPPTL Jeremy Strong – Deliver Me from Evil
WLPPTL Tonatiuh – Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL Christoph Waltz – Frankenstein
WLPPTL Jeffrey Wright – Highest 2 Lowest

Best Supporting Actress

WLPPTL Emily Blunt – The Smashing Machine
WLPPTL Ayo Edibiri – After the Hunt
WLPPTL Mia Goth – Frankenstein
WLPPTL Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
WLPPTL Regina Hall – One Battle After Another
WLPPTL Greta Lee – Late Fame
WLPPTL Nia Long – Michael
WLPPTL Samantha Morton – Anemone
WLPPTL Gwyneth Paltrow – Marty Supreme
WLPPTL Charlotte Rampling – Father, Mother, Sister, Brother
WLPPTL Alicia Silverstone – Bugonia
WLPPTL Tilda Swinton – The Ballad of a Small Player

Best Original Screenplay

WLPPTL Anemone
WLPPTL Ella McCay
WLPPTL Eternity
WLPPTL Jay Kelly
WLPPTL Late Fame
WLPPTL Marty Supreme
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL The Phoenician Scheme
WLPPTL The Rivals of Amziah King
WLPPTL Sentimental Value

Best Adapted Screenplay

WLPPTL The Ballad of a Small Player
WLPPTL Bugonia
WLPPTL Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL Highest 2 Lowest
WLPPTL Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL The Roses
WLPPTL Wake Up Dead Man
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Casting

WLPPTL The Ballad of a Small Player
WLPPTL Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL Father, Mother, Sister, Brother
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL The Phoenician Scheme
WLPPTL The Rivals of Amziah King
WLPPTL The Roses
WLPPTL Sentimental Value
WLPPTL Wake Up Dead Man
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Original Score

WLPPTL After the Hunt
WLPPTL The Ballad of a Small Player
WLPPTL The Collaboration
WLPPTL F1
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL In the Blink of an Eye
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL The Phoenician Scheme
WLPPTL Sentimental Value

Best Film Editing

WLPPTL After the Hunt
WLPPTL The Ballad of a Small Player
WLPPTL Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL F1
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL Late Fame
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL The Roses
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Cinematography

WLPPTL After the Hunt
WLPPTL Avatar: Fire and Ash
WLPPTL Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL F1
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL Marty Supreme
WLPPTL The Phoenician Scheme
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Production Design

WLPPTL The Bride!
WLPPTL Bugonia
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL Mickey 17
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL The Phoenician Scheme
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Costume Design

WLPPTL The Ballad of a Small Player
WLPPTL The Bride!
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Hamnet
WLPPTL Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL The Phoenician Scheme
WLPPTL Sinners
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Makeup & Hairstyling

WLPPTL The Bride!
WLPPTL Bugonia
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL Michael
WLPPTL Mother Mary
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL The Phoenician Scheme
WLPPTL Star Trek 4
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Sound

WLPPTL Deliver Me from Nowhere
WLPPTL F1
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL Kiss of the Spider Woman
WLPPTL Michael
WLPPTL Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
WLPPTL One Battle After Another
WLPPTL Superman
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good

Best Visual Effects

WLPPTL Avatar: Fire and Ash
WLPPTL F1
WLPPTL The Fantastic Four: First Steps
WLPPTL Frankenstein
WLPPTL How to Train Your Dragon
WLPPTL Superman
WLPPTL Tron: Ares
WLPPTL Wicked: For Good