This year’s Oscars are shaping up to be an exciting contest, with a spotlight on two standout films: one featuring vampires and the other focusing on retired revolutionaries. While the outcome may seem predictable, there’s still plenty of intrigue leading up to Hollywood’s biggest event.

Here’s a glimpse into the excitement surrounding the Conan O’Brien-hosted 98th Academy Awards occurring on March 15. This cinematic celebration will air live on ABC at 7 p.m. ET and, for the first time, also stream simultaneously on Hulu, marking a new era for the prestigious event.

What’s the buzz?

There’s a strong consensus among Oscar analysts and film enthusiasts, backed by various precursor awards, that Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” and Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” are the frontrunners. Both films are contenders for Best Picture, Best Director, several acting awards, and the newly introduced Best Casting category, with nominations in all categories except Best Actress.

Interestingly, “One Battle” and “Sinners” are head-to-head in 13 categories, with “One Battle” vying for Best Adapted Screenplay and “Sinners” for Best Original Screenplay, highlighting their competitive nature.

The awards season has seen “One Battle” star Teyana Taylor clinch Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes, where the film also won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Meanwhile, “Sinners” star Wunmi Mosaku took home the Best Supporting Actress award at the BAFTAs.

Timothée Chalamet, who stars in “Marty Supreme,” was once considered a strong contender for Best Actor. However, this expectation has waned due to controversy surrounding his film and the impressive performances by Wagner Moura in “The Secret Agent” and Michael B. Jordan in “Sinners.” Moura and Jordan have gained momentum, with Moura winning a Golden Globe and Jordan securing an Actor Award.

Landmark wins

Best Picture nominee “Sinners” entered the race already a winner, as its 16 nominations — including Ryan Coogler for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, Michael B. Jordan for Best Actor, and Autumn Durald Arkapaw for Best Cinematography — make it the most-nominated film of all time. “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land” previously shared the title for the most nominations with 14.

But “Sinners” isn’t the only film poised to both win big and break records on Oscars night — when there will also be a first-ever Best Casting award. Most categories feature nominees who, if they win a little gold man, will feature firsts and other historic moments.

Several of those potential milestones hail from the Best Director contenders. Coogler would be the first Black filmmaker ever to win the honor. Chloé Zhao, who previously won for directing “Nomadland” and is now nominated for helming “Hamnet,” would be the first woman to ever hold multiple Best Director wins. Danish-Norwegian Joachim Trier, nominated for “Sentimental Value,” would be the first Nordic director to win.

Other potential landmark wins include those of “Sinners” star and Best Supporting Actress nominee Wunmi Mosaku, who would be the first Nigerian to win an Oscar.

Should he win Best Supporting Actor, “Sentimental Value” star Stellan Skarsgård would be the first Swedish or Nordic male to win an acting Oscar.

A win for Best Supporting Actor by Delroy Lindo in “Sinners” would mark a first for a male actor who had not been nominated for the Actor Awards, BAFTAs, Critics’ Choice or Golden Globes precursors.

If Amy Madigan wins Best Supporting Actress for “Weapons,” the 40 years and one month between her first nomination — for 1985’s “Twice in a Lifetime” — and her first win would break the record currently held by Geraldine Page, at 32 years and one month.

Controversies

Scandal has infused less of this awards season than the 2025 one, during which multiple nominees landed in hot water for racism and AI.

The most widely reported of this year’s controversies has been that surrounding the BAFTAs late last month, when Tourette’s advocate John Davidson could be heard spouting multiple slurs, including the N-word, when Jordan and “Sinners” co-star Delroy Lindo were on stage, as well as when Wunmi Mosaku won for Best Supporting Actress. The BBC has since come under fire for not editing all of the epithets out of the broadcast.

Allegations resurfaced in late January that Josh Safdie — up for an Oscar for directing “Marty Supreme” — was well aware that he and brother Benny, his former directing collaborator, had cast a 17-year-old as a sex worker in 2017’s “Good Time.” During the movie’s filming, a nonprofessional actor recently released from prison reportedly exposed himself and “terrified” the girl. Benny only got wise to the alleged situation in 2022, causing him to cut ties with his brother.

Chalamet also earned himself some backlash this week when he declared that “no one cares” about opera or ballet.

The internet has even turned, in part, against “Hamnet” star Jessie Buckley, whose predicted Best Actress win would be a first for Irish actresses, in response to her “F— cats!” remarks and a story she shared about making her now-husband give up his cats in order to continue their romance.

Buckley this week tried to curry favor with the public by dubbing herself “a lover of cats,” which not everyone buys — and might not help if Academy Award voters at all factor in her polarizing new film, “The Bride!”