‘Sinners,’ ‘One Battle,’ and ‘Steve’s Lava Chicken’: Warner Bros. solidifies Oscars slate
Warner Bros. had a year of massive box-office hits that could turn into an equally huge awards haul. With Sinners, Mickey 17, and One Battle After Another, the studio put out large-scale original visions from three of our best living filmmakers. Weapons continued the exciting career of horror auteur Zach Cregger. James Gunn's Superman put a fresh coat of blue and red paint on an American icon.
Also, there was a chicken jockey.
Go ahead and laugh, but A Minecraft Movie remains the highest grossing domestic film of the year and offers not one, but two possible nominations for star Jack Black in Best Original Song.
Check out Warner Bros. complete 2025 awards slate below. And for a full list of categories, as well as below-the-line credits, head to WB's awards site.
One Battle After Another
Theatrical release date: Sept. 26
Synopsis: Washed-up revolutionary Bob exists in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with spirited, self-reliant daughter, Willa. When a nemesis resurfaces after 16 years and she goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her, father and daughter both battling the consequences of his past.
Categories: Best Picture (Adam Somner, Sara Murphy, Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Adapted Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson), Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Best Actress (Chase Infiniti), Best Supporting Actor (Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro), Best Supporting Actress (Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor), Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score
Sinners
Theatrical release date: April 18
Synopsis: After chasing success in the North, twin brothers Smoke and Stack return to their hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi to open a juke joint. As music and dance meld in celebration of artistry, culture and history, an evil descends, threatening to devour the heart and soul of the community.
Categories: Best Picture (Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler), Best Director (Ryan Coogler), Best Original Screenplay (Ryan Coogler), Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan), Best Supporting Actor (Miles Caton, Delroy Lindo, Jack O'Connell), Best Supporting Actress (Wunmi Mosaku, Hailee Steinfeld, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li), Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Original Song ("I Lied to You," "Last Time (I Seen the Sun)")
Superman
Theatrical release date: July 11
Synopsis: Guided by human kindness in a world that sees goodness as old-fashioned, Superman is forced to reconcile his heritage as the Kryptonian Kal-El with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas, which challenges his selfless determination to use his power for good as humanity’s protector.
Categories: Best Picture (Peter Safran, James Gunn), Best Director (James Gunn), Best Adapted Screenplay (James Gunn), Best Actor (David Corenswet), Best Supporting Actress (Rachel Brosnahan, Isabela Merced), Best Supporting Actor (Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion), Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Bets Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Original Song ("The Mighty Crabjoys Theme")
Mickey 17
Theatrical release date: March 7
Synopsis: Unlikely hero Mickey Barnes has found himself in the circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job, to die, for a living.
Categories: Best Picture (Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Bong Joon Ho, Dooho Choi), Best Director (Bong Joon Ho), Best Adapted Screenplay (Bong Joon Ho), Best Actor (Robert Pattinson), Best Supporting Actor (Steven Yeun, Cameron Britton, Daniel Henshall, Stephen Park, Mark Ruffalo), Best Supporting Actress (Naomi Ackie, Patsy Ferran, Anamaria Vartolomei, Toni Collette), Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score
Weapons
Theatrical release date: Aug. 8
Synopsis: When all but one child from the same class vanish on the same night, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.
Categories: Best Picture (Zach Cregger, Miri Yoon, Roy Lee), Best Director (Zach Cregger), Best Original Screenplay (Zach Cregger), Best Actress (Julia Garner), Best Supporting Actor (Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong), Best Supporting Actress (Amy Madigan), Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Score
A Minecraft Movie
Theatrical release date: April 4
Synopsis: Four misfits struggling with ordinary problems are pulled through a portal into the Overworld, a cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination, where creativity is essential to survival. To get back home, they embark on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve.
Categories: Best Picture (Mary Parent, Cale Boyter), Best Director (Jared Hess), Best Adapted Screenplay (Chris Bowman, Hubbel Palmer, Neil Widener, Gavin James, Chris Galletta, Allison Schroeder), Best Actor (Jack Black), Best Supporting Actor (Jason Momoa, Sebastian Hansen), Best Supporting Actress (Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Coolidge), Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Original Songs ("I Feel Alive," "Steve's Lava Chicken")
