The nominees for Best Picture “Sinners” during the 98th Academy Awards nominations announcement at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, on January 22, 2026 (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
The love for Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is palpable. The genre redefining horror film has been nominated for 16 Oscars, ending the tie that’s held between La La Land (2016), Titanic (1997), and All About Eve (1950) for nearly a decade.
Set in the Mississippi Delta in 1932, the movie examines faith, community, race, and the thin veil between this world and the next through the lens of a vampire attack at a juke joint. Steeped in the speculative fiction tradition of Black Southern horror, Sinners is a tale about America that is both familiar and foreign depending on who’s watching the movie. It’s for that reason that history buffs and those not fully aware of the rich, beautiful, complicated, horrific, and tragic tapestry of the American South, its culture, and its music have spoken endlessly about the film.
Sinners is nominated for Best Picture, making the movie Coogler’s second to receive Academy recognition in this category. The film is also up for Casting, Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Makeup & Hair, Music Score, Production Design, Song for “I Lied to You”, Sound, and Visual Effects.
Coogler has been nominated for Best Directing and Original Screenplay, his first nods in these categories. Michael B. Jordan, whose turns as twins Stack and Smoke have been immortalized in vampire canon, is in the race for Best Actor. This is his first nomination for an Academy Award.
In the Supporting categories, actress Wunmi Mosaku and actor Delroy Lindo have been nominated for their scene-stealing portrayals of Annie and Delta Slim, continuing the trend of firsts for this talented team and cast.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 11: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (L-R) Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian, winners of the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Award for “Sinners,” pose in the press room at the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 11, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
FilmMagic
Sinners’ Accolades So Far This Award Season
The movie won 4 out of the 17 Critics Choice Awards that it was nominated for, including Best Young Performer for Miles Canton. The actor and musician whose soul-stirring voice during his performance of “I Lied to You,” has also been nominated for an Oscar in the Supporting Actor category. The film is up for four awards at the ceremony, with Jordan and Mosaku in the running for Outstanding Actor and Outstanding Supporting Actress.
Sinners has 5 Grammy nominations — Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media, Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media, and Best Song Written For Visual Media (“I Lied to You,” “Pale, Pale Moon,” and “Sinners”).
At the Golden Globes, the movie walked away with Best Original Score and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement. Jordan was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama and Coogler received a nod for Best Directing and Screenplay. The film was also up for Best Picture — Drama and Best Original Song.
The Oscars are set to air on Sunday, March 15 at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and will stream on Hulu. No matter how many Academy Awards Sinners takes home, its record breaking nominations is a win for Black speculative fiction and genre fiction as a whole.