Critics Choice Awards 2026: Sinners leads nominations with 11 nods, Leonardo’s ‘One Battle After Another’ follows

WASHINGTON: Warner Bros, soon to be acquired by Netflix, led the 31st Critics Choice Awards nominations on the film side with Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’ and Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners,’ reported Variety.

‘Sinners’ emerged as the clear heavyweight leading all films with 17 nominations, including best picture, director for Ryan Coogler, actor for Michael B Jordan, supporting actress for Wunmi Mosaku, and a raft of craft mentions across cinematography, production design, costume, editing, visual effects, sound and hair and makeup, reported Variety.

Close behind is Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’ with 14 nods, including four acting mentions. At the same time, ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Hamnet’ scored 11 nominations apiece, solidifying the top tier of contenders that blend studio muscle with auteur prestige.

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But the strong showing for ‘Wicked: For Good,’ which earned seven nominations, including best picture, supporting actress for Ariana Grande and key craft races, also throws one of the morning’s most notable omissions into sharp disbelief: the absence of Cynthia Erivo in best actress.

According to the outlet, the organisation unveiled four new competitive categories this year: sound, stunt design, casting and ensemble for film, along with variety series for television. Chelsea Handler returns as host for the fourth consecutive year.

Selected by roughly 575 voting members, the Critics Choice Awards tend to reflect broader industry consensus, offering a temperature check on which films have captured critical hearts and minds. The Critics Choice Awards are presented annually to honour outstanding achievements in film and television. Bob Bain Productions and Berlin Entertainment will serve as executive producers. The 31st annual Critics Choice Awards will air live on E! on Sunday, January 4, 2026.

Here is a key list of nominees below.
Film
Best Picture
“Bugonia”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“Jay Kelly”
“Marty Supreme”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sinners”
“Train Dreams”
“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”
Chloe Zhao, “Hamnet”
Actor
Timothee Chalamet, “Marty Supreme”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “One Battle After Another”
Joel Edgerton, “Train Dreams”
Ethan Hawke, “Blue Moon”
Michael B. Jordan, “Sinners”
Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent”
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”
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 Skarsgard, “Sentimental Value”
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”
Young Performer
Everett Blunck, “The Plague”
Miles Caton, “Sinners”
Cary Christopher, “Weapons”
Shannon Mahina Gorman, “Rental Family”
Jacobi Jupe, “Hamnet”
Nina Ye, “Left-Handed Girl”
Best Comedy
“The Ballad of Wallis Island”
“Eternity”
“Friendship”
“The Naked Gun”
“The Phoenician Scheme”
“Splitsville”
Animated Feature
“Arco”
“Elio”
“In Your Dreams”
“KPop Demon Hunters”
“Little Amelie or the Character of Rain”
“Zootopia 2”
Song
“Drive,” Ed Sheeran, John Mayer and Blake Slatkin, “F1”
“Golden,” Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24 and Teddy, “KPop Demon Hunters”
“I Lied to You,” Raphael Saadiq and Ludwig Goransson, “Sinners”
“Clothed by the Sun,” Daniel Blumberg, “The Testament of Ann Lee”
“Train Dreams,” Nick Cave and Bryce Dessner, “Train Dreams”
“The Girl in the Bubble,” Stephen Schwartz, “Wicked: For Good”
Foreign Language Film
“Belen”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Left-Handed Girl”
“No Other Choice”
“The Secret Agent”
“Sirat”

TELEVISION
Drama Series
“Alien: Earth”
“Andor”
“The Diplomat”
“Paradise”
“The Pitt”
“Pluribus”
“Severance”
“Task”
Comedy Series
“Abbott Elementary”
“Elsbeth”
“Ghosts”
“Hacks”
“Nobody Wants This”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“The Righteous Gemstones”
“The Studio”
Limited Series
“Adolescence”
“All Her Fault”
“Chief of War”
“Death by Lightning”
“Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy”
“Dope Thief”
“Dying for Sex”
“The Girlfriend”
Movie Made for Television
“Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”
“Deep Cover”
“The Gorge”
“Mountainhead”
“Nonnas”
“Summer of ’69”
Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise”
Diego Luna, “Andor”
Mark Ruffalo, “Task”
Adam Scott, “Severance”
Billy Bob Thornton, “Landman”
Noah Wyle, “The Pitt”
Actor in a Comedy Series
Adam Brody, “Nobody Wants This”
Ted Danson, “A Man on the Inside”
David Alan Grier, “St. Denis Medical”
Danny McBride, “The Righteous Gemstones”
Seth Rogen, “The Studio”
Alexander Skarsgard, “Murderbot”
Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
Michael Chernus, “Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy”
Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”
Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief”
Charlie Hunnam, “Monster: The Ed Gein Story”
Matthew Rhys, “The Beast in Me”
Michael Shannon, “Death by Lightning”
Actress in a Drama Series
Kathy Bates, “Matlock”
Carrie Coon, “The Gilded Age”
Britt Lower, “Severance”
Bella Ramsey, “The Last of Us”
Keri Russell, “The Diplomat”
Rhea Seehorn, “Pluribus”
Actress in a Comedy Series
Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This”
Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face”
Rose McIver, “Ghosts”
Edi Patterson, “The Righteous Gemstones”
Carrie Preston, “Elsbeth”
Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Jessica Biel, “The Better Sister”
Meghann Fahy, “Sirens”
Sarah Snook, “All Her Fault”
Michelle Williams, “Dying for Sex”
Robin Wright, “The Girlfriend”
Renee Zellweger, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Patrick Ball, “The Pitt”
Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”
Ato Essandoh, “The Diplomat”
Wood Harris, “Forever”
Tom Pelphrey, “Task”
Tramell Tillman, “Severance”
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Ike Barinholtz, “The Studio”
Paul W. Downs, “Hacks”
Asher Grodman, “Ghosts”
Oscar Nunez, “The Paper”
Chris Perfetti, “Abbott Elementary”
Timothy Simons, “Nobody Wants This”
Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
Owen Cooper, “Adolescence”
Wagner Moura, “Dope Thief”
Nick Offerman, “Death by Lightning”
Michael Pena, “All Her Fault”
Ashley Walters, “Adolescence”
Ramy Youssef, “Mountainhead”
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Nicole Beharie, “The Morning Show”
Denee Benton, “The Gilded Age”
Allison Janney, “The Diplomat”
Katherine LaNasa, “The Pitt”
Greta Lee, “The Morning Show”
Skye P. Marshall, “Matlock”
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Danielle Brooks, “Peacemaker”
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”
Justine Lupe, “Nobody Wants This”
Ego Nwodim, “Saturday Night Live”
Rebecca Wisocky, “Ghosts”
Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
Erin Doherty, “Adolescence”
Betty Gilpin, “Death by Lightning”
Marin Ireland, “Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy”
Sophia Lillis, “All Her Fault”
Julianne Moore, “Sirens”
Christine Tremarco, “Adolescence”

Animated Series

“Bob’s Burgers”
“Harley Quinn”
“Long Story Short”
“Marvel Zombies”
“South Park”
“Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man”
Foreign Language Series
“Acapulco”
“Last Samurai Standing”
“Mussolini: Son of the Century”
“Red Alert”
“Squid Game”
“When No One Sees Us”
Talk Show
“The Daily Show”
“Hot Ones”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“Late Night With Seth Meyers”
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”
“Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen”
Comedy Special
“Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life”
“Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian”
“Leanne Morgan: Unspeakable Things”
“Marc Maron: Panicked”
“Sarah Silverman: PostMortem”
“SNL50: The Anniversary Special”

The 31st annual Critics’ Choice Awards will air on Sunday, January 4, 2026. (ANI)