Sinners’ remarkable run hasn’t finished just yet.
Ryan Coogler’s genre-busting drama amassed 16 Oscar nominations this morning, the most for any movie in history — topping the previous record shared by 1950’s All About Eve, 1997’s Titanic and 2016’s La La Land. The tally includes a major showing above the line — with nods in best picture, lead actor (Michael B. Jordan), supporting actor (Delroy Lindo), supporting actress (Wunmi Mosaku), director and original screenplay (both Coogler) — and indicates serious strength opposite presumed front-runner One Battle After Another, which runs close behind with double-digit nominations and the winner of best-picture prizes from the Critics Choice and Golden Globe Awards.
Already upon its April release, Sinners became the highest-grossing movie domestically in 15 years, going back to Christopher Nolan’s Inception, after a road to theatrical release trailed by industry skepticism and controversy. The film not only silenced doubters but emerged as the theatrical phenomenon of the spring in North America, generating universal critical acclaim and substantial awards buzz for its industry veterans both in front of and behind the camera.
Coogler’s run as a filmmaker has been unimpeachable, with both critics and audiences embracing everything from his indie debut Fruitvale Station to his subsequent franchise efforts in Creed and Black Panther. He came into this awards season with two prior Oscar nominations, for producing Shaka King’s best picture nominee Judas and the Black Messiah and co-writing the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever song “Lift Me Up.” (Black Panther was also nominated for best picture, but Coogler didn’t produce the film and thus wasn’t nominated for it.)
In other words, Sinners has given Coogler his first-ever directing and screenplay Oscar nods — and he is now the seventh Black filmmaker ever to be nominated for the best-director prize. The last was Spike Lee, seven years ago for BlacKkKlansman.
Michael B. Jordan, meanwhile, has finally received his first Oscar nomination — perhaps fittingly for playing two roles, twins Smoke and Stack Moore. Jordan’s first-ever lead film role came 12 years ago in Coogler’s Fruitvale Station; the success of Sinners thus marks a fitting full-circle moment for the pair. This is also the first nomination for both Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo, while several below-the-line nominees, including costume designer Ruth E. Carter and composer Ludwig Göransson, are back in the hunt after having won Oscars for their work on Coogler’s Black Panther movies.
Sinners is considered a favorite in the original-screenplay race and will certainly compete below the line, but one category of particular intrigue for the film is brand new: best casting. Francine Maisler is nominated for her work assembling the movie’s ensemble — including Miles Caton in his much-lauded debut role — and is a legend of her field, having worked regularly with the likes of Adam McKay, Aaron Sorkin, Barry Jenkins, and Denis Villeneuve. Had the Academy instituted the category before 2026, you can bet she’d have been a mainstay. Finally, they have the chance to honor her.
The question is: Just how much deeper could the Sinners embrace run? Based on today’s showing, it’s not to be counted out anywhere.
