The Critics Choice Awards arrive this year as the first major televised Oscar precursor of the season. The ceremony rolls around on January 4th, with Chelsea Handler back for her fourth consecutive hosting gig and the show airing on E! and USA Network. The narratives are mostly set, but nothing is fully locked. A win here can turn momentum into inevitability, especially in the acting races.
This year feels particularly consequential. Several films arrive with massive nomination counts, others are clearly positioning themselves for a sweep, and a few categories remain wide open in a way that makes predictions both exciting and nerve-racking. The Critics Choice Association has never been shy about embracing frontrunners early, and 2026 looks like a year where they may once again lean into films that already feel inevitable while still allowing room for a surprise or two.
At the center of the night is Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which appears poised to have a very good evening. With Paul Thomas Anderson already feeling overdue for a win, it’s hard not to imagine Critics Choice wanting to be the first ones to fully embrace it and help strengthen his narrative. A strong showing here could mark the beginning of a real sweep as we head deeper into awards season.
Then there’s Sinners, which leads the ceremony with an impressive 17 nominations. That kind of support doesn’t usually translate into just one or two wins. Even if it doesn’t dominate the top prizes, it’s hard to imagine it walking away empty-handed. Expect it to make its presence felt in screenplay and craft categories at the very least.
Some races, however, are far less settled. Supporting Actress is wide open, with no clear consensus emerging yet. Amy Madigan and Ariana Grande both feel very possible, depending on how voters respond emotionally versus culturally. And in Best Actor, Timothée Chalamet is the expected winner, but Leonardo DiCaprio remains the one name who could disrupt that narrative. However with Marty Supreme just coming out with impressive box office numbers and endless praise for Chalamet, it really does feel like his category to lose. If Chalamet takes Critics Choice, the sweep conversation becomes very real, very fast.
With all that in mind, here’s how I see the night playing out.
(Predicted winners are highlighted in bold along with “**”)
Best Picture
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another**
Sinners
Wicked: For Good
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme**
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent
Best Actress
Jessie Buckley – Hamnet**
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
Emma Stone – Bugonia
Best Supporting Actor
Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another**
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
Paul Mescal – Hamnet
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
Best Supporting Actress
Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan – Weapons**
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
Best Young Actor/Actress
Everett Blunck – The Plague
Miles Caton – Sinners
Cary Christopher – Weapons
Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet**
Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl
Best Casting and Ensemble
Hamnet
Jay Kelly
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners**
Wicked: For Good
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another**
Ryan Coogler – Sinners
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
Best Original Screenplay
Noah Baumbach and Emily Mortimer – Jay Kelly
Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Ryan Coogler – Sinners**
Zach Cregger – Weapons
Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
Best Adapted Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another**
Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams
Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, and Jahye Lee – No Other Choice
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
Will Tracy – Bugonia
Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell – Hamnet
Best Cinematography
F1 – Claudio Miranda
Frankenstein – Dan Laustsen
Hamnet – Łukasz Żal
One Battle After Another – Michael Bauman
Sinners – Autumn Durald Arkapaw**
Train Dreams – Adolpho Veloso
Best Production Design
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Frankenstein**
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners
Wicked: For Good
Best Editing
F1
A House of Dynamite
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another**
The Perfect Neighbor
Sinners
Best Sound
F1
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners**
Sirāt
Warfare
Best Costume Design
Frankenstein**
Hamnet
Sinners
Wicked: For Good
Best Hair and Makeup
28 Years Later
Frankenstein**
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
Weapons
Wicked: For Good
Best Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire and Ash**
F1
Frankenstein
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Sinners
Superman
Best Stunt Design
Ballerina
F1
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning**
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Warfare
Best Animated Feature
Arco
Elio
In Your Dreams
KPop Demon Hunters**
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Zootopia 2
Best Foreign Language Film
Belén • Argentina
It Was Just an Accident** • France
Left-Handed Girl • Taiwan
The Secret Agent • Brazil
Sirāt • Spain
Best Song
“Clothed by the Sun” – The Testament of Ann Lee
“Drive” – F1
“The Girl in the Bubble” – Wicked: For Good
“Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters
“I Lied to You” – Sinners
“Train Dreams” – Train Dreams
Best Score
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners**
The 31st annual Critics Choice Awards will be presented live on E! and USA on Sunday, January 4, 2026.
Roberto Tyler Ortiz is a movie and TV enthusiast with a love for literally any film. He is a writer for LoudAndClearReviews, and when he isn’t writing for them, he’s sharing his personal reviews and thoughts on Twitter, Instagram, and Letterboxd. As a member of the Austin Film Critics Association, Roberto is always ready to chat about the latest releases, dive deep into film discussions, or discover something new.
