The 31st Critics Choice Awards arrive Sunday with Chelsea Handler set to return as host. This year, Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” leads the nomination tally at 17 nods, but Variety is projecting a big night for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” when winners are announced live on E!
“One Battle” is projected to take best picture, director and adapted screenplay. However, we are also forecasting that “Sinners,” the vampire-tinged epic will take home the most trophies with six including original screenplay for Coogler.
MARTY SUPREME, Timothee Chalamet, 2025. © A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection
Courtesy Everett Collection
The current expectation for the acting races suggest a strong night for a quartet of performances tied to four different films: Timothée Chalamet for “Marty Supreme,” Jessie Buckley for “Hamnet,” Benicio del Toro for “One Battle After Another” and Amy Madigan for “Weapons.” If that quartet holds, it would signal a more fluid and wide open race and reflecting broad enthusiasm across the top tier rather than turning the ceremony into a single-movie coronation.
Still, the acting races are where the upsets tend to live. Best actor has two obvious alternatives with win-worthy narratives and passionate pockets of support: Leonardo DiCaprio for “One Battle” and Ethan Hawke for “Blue Moon.” Best actress is similarly primed for a late surge, with Rose Byrne in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” representing the kind of critics-forward pick that can surprise if the vote splinters.
Supporting actor has its own volatility, with Stellan Skarsgård for “Sentimental Value” and Sean Penn for “One Battle After Another” both positioned as credible spoilers. And supporting actress may be the flashpoint category of the night, with Ariana Grande for “Wicked: For Good” and Teyana Taylor for “One Battle After Another” standing as the most headline-ready threats to any presumed frontrunner. Even Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas has the chance to spoil.
The Critics Choice Association, comprising of roughly 575 voting members, has historically served as a reliable barometer for Oscar momentum. Last year’s best picture winner “Anora” used its CCA victory to reassert itself in the race after Golden Globe and SAG Awards shutouts, ultimately carrying that momentum to Academy Awards glory. However, this is a different time as this marks the first major awards ceremony of the year, and Oscar voting set to begin on Jan. 12. A great speech and a huge victory can be a game-changer in a race this tight.
Below are category the predicted winners.
Film
- Best Picture: “One Battle After Another” (Alternate: “Sinners”)
- Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another” (Alternate: Ryan Coogler, “Sinners”)
- Best Actor: Timothée Chalamet, “Marty Supreme” (Alternate: Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”)
- Best Actress: Jessie Buckley, “Hamnet” (Alternate: Rose Byrne, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”)
- Best Supporting Actor: Benicio del Toro, “One Battle After Another” (Alternate: Stellan Skarsgård, “Sentimental Value”)
- Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, “Weapons” (Alternate: Ariana Grande, “Wicked: For Good”)
- Best Original Screenplay: Ryan Coogler, “Sinners” (Alternate: Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, “Marty Supreme”)
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson, “One Battle After Another” (Alternate: Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell, “Hamnet”)
- Best Young Performer: Miles Caton, “Sinners” (Alternate: Jacobi Jupe, “Hamnet”)
- Best Casting and Ensemble: “Sinners” (Alternate: “Hamnet”)
- Best Comedy: “The Naked Gun” (Alternate: “The Phoenician Scheme”)
- Best Animated Feature: “KPop Demon Hunters” (Alternate: “Zootopia 2”)
- Best Production Design: “Frankenstein ” (Alternate: “Sinners”)
- Best Cinematography: “Sinners” (Alternate: “One Battle After Another”)
- Best Costume Design: “Wicked: For Good” (Alternate: “Sinners”)
- Best Editing: “Marty Supreme” (Alternate: “One Battle After Another”)
- Best Hair and Makeup: “Weapons” (Alternate: “Wicked: For Good”)
- Best Sound: “Sinners” (Alternate: “F1”)
- Best Visual Effects: “Avatar: Fire and Ash” (Alternate: “F1”)
- Best Score: “Sinners” (Alternate: “One Battle After Another”)
- Best Song: “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters” (Alternate: “The Girl in the Bubble,” “Wicked: For Good”)
- Best Foreign Language Film: “It Was Just an Accident” (Alternate: “The Secret Agent”)
Television
- Best Drama Series: “The Pitt” (Alternate: “Severance”)
- Best Comedy Series: “The Studio” (Alternate: “Abbott Elementary”)
- Best Limited Series: “Adolescence” (Alternate: “Dope Thief”)
- Best Movie Made for Television: “Mountainhead” (Alternate: “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”)
- Best Actor in a Drama Series: Noah Wyle, “The Pitt” (Alternate: Diego Luna, “Andor”)
- Best Actress in a Drama Series: Rhea Seehorn, “Pluribus” (Alternate: Britt Lower, “Severance”)
- Best Actor in a Comedy Series: Seth Rogen, “The Studio” (Alternate: Danny McBride, “The Righteous Gemstones”)
- Best Actress in a Comedy Series: Jean Smart, “Hacks” (Alternate: Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This”)
- Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television: Stephen Graham, “Adolescence” (Alternate: Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief”)
- Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television: Michelle Williams, “Dying for Sex” (Alternate: Sarah Snook, “All Her Fault”)
- Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Tramell Tillman, “Severance” (Alternate: Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”)
- Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Allison Janney, “The Diplomat” (Alternate: Greta Lee, “The Morning Show”)
- Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Ike Barinholtz, “The Studio” (Alternate: Chris Perfetti, “Abbott Elementary”)
- Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks” (Alternate: Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”)
- Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television: Owen Cooper, “Adolescence” (Alternate: Wagner Moura, “Dope Thief”)
- Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television: Erin Doherty, “Adolescence” (Alternate: Julianne Moore, “Sirens”)
- Best Animated Series: “South Park” (Alternate: “Harley Quinn”)
- Best Foreign Language Series: “Squid Game” (Alternate: “When No One Sees Us”)
- Best Talk Show: “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (Alternate: “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”)
- Best Comedy Special: “Marc Maron: Panicked” (Alternate: “Sarah Silverman: PostMortem”)
- Best Variety Series: “Saturday Night Live” (Alternate: “Conan O’Brien Must Go”)
