Oscar predictions 2027: 25 films which could compete for best picture next year

After what sometimes felt like an endless awards season, last night's Academy Awards ceremony in LA marked the end of this year's cycle, with Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another eventually named as the deserving best picture winner.

The film saw off competition from the likes of Ryan Coogler's Sinners to win the main prize, with Anderson also scooping the honours for best director and best adapted screenplay.

It was the first time the filmmaker had won Oscar gold despite coming close on numerous previous occasions, but few would have been too surprised if they'd been told this time last year that he would finally get his day in the sun.

With that in mind, we're taking an early stab at suggesting who might be in the running this time next year. We've used our expert insight to round up a list of some of the films that might well be in contention when the time comes to hand out golden statuettes in 2027.

It should obviously be taken into account that – with the exception of one or two films – most of the titles listed below have not yet been screened, and so we're relying entirely on the names attached and plot synopses to indicate which films might be in the running.

It's likely that after some of these premiere they could drop off our predictions list entirely, and it's equally probable that several films will come out of nowhere to emerge as major contenders in the coming months – as was the case this year.

But for the time being, read on for a list of films that could be up for best picture in 2027. If nothing else, it certainly points to another exciting year for new releases...

1. The Odyssey

It's almost impossible to imagine a world in which Christopher Nolan's follow-up to his Oscar-sweeping 2023 biographical epic Oppenheimer doesn't land a glut of nominations.

While winning two best pictures in a row may prove a little too much, the combination of on-screen and off-screen talent, source material and pre-release buzz mean that something would have to go drastically wrong for the film to not at least get a space in the best picture line-up. We can't wait to see just how Nolan adapts Homer's epic.

2. Disclosure Day

When Steven Spielberg releases a new film, there's always a fairly good chance it will land in the best picture line-up – and his two most recent efforts (West Side Story and The Fabelmans) both made the cut this decade.

He's returning to the familiar world of sci-fi – and specifically UFOs – for his hotly-anticipated summer release, and with an A-list cast including Josh O'Connor, Emily Blunt, Colin Forth and Colman Domingo, we reckon there's a fairly good chance the legendary director is back in the running again.

3. Dune: Part Three

The first two films in Denis Villeneuve's masterful sci-fi trilogy have both been best picture nominated, and we see no good reason why that won't be the case again this time around, as he continues the saga with a film inspired by Frank Herbert's sequel novel Dune Messiah.

Plus, it wouldn't really be an Oscars ceremony these days without a film starring Timothée Chalamet featuring in the best picture line-up – even if the Marty Supreme star is yet to get his hands on one of those coveted golden statuettes for himself.

4. Project Hail Mary

Another sci-fi film on the list, and this one we have the added benefit of having already seen. Adapted from Andy Weir's novel of the same name and helmed by directing duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, this likeable adventure stars Ryan Gosling in the title role and has been met by rave reviews from critics ahead of its imminent release in cinemas.

The last film adapted from a sci-fi book by Weir was The Martian, which found itself nominated for best picture – and this looks a fairly safe bet to repeat that feat. We also know that the Academy loves to nominate blockbusters at the moment, so the crowd-pleasing nature of this one – coupled with the aforementioned critical acclaim – bodes well.

5. Josephine

It's fairly common for a film that premieres at the Sundance Film Festival to make its way onto the best picture shortlist, with Train Dreams having achieved exactly that this year.

This sophomore film from writer/director Beth de Araújo was the most positively reviewed film of this year's slate at the festival, and with Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan in key roles, may have enough star power to attract attention from voters despite its status as a fairly small independent production. The drama follows an eight-year-old who witnesses a brutal assault and begins to experience fear and paranoia.

6. The Social Reckoning

The Social Network losing out to The King's Speech for best picture at the 2011 Oscars is considered by some to be one of the worst snubs in recent times, so it will be interesting to see if this follow-up – which is based on the events surrounding the 2021 Facebook leak by whistleblower Frances Haugen – can also attract similar acclaim.

Aaron Sorkin is once again on scripting duties and also replaces David Fincher in the director's chair, while Jeremy Strong takes over from Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg. Other new additions to the cast include 2025 Oscar winner Mikey Madison, 2026 Oscar nominee Wunmi Mosaku and The Bear star Jeremy Allen White.

7. The Adventures of Cliff Booth

One of the reasons Fincher isn't returning behind the camera for The Social Reckoning is because he is instead helming this follow-up to another previously Oscar-nominated film: Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood.

Brad Pitt – who won an Oscar for his role in the original – is back as Cliff Booth for another Tarantino-penned period drama, reportedly set eight years later in 1977. Elizabeth Debicki is the most high-profile new addition to the cast, but little about the exact plot is known.

8. Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew

All three of Greta Gerwig's previous films as a solo director – Lady Bird, Little Women and Barbie – have been nominated for best picture, so on the face of it she seems a decent bet to continue that streak with this major Netflix-backed production.

The source material – the sixth published novel in CS Lewis's Narnia series – might not seem like an obvious fit for the Oscars, but the same could undoubtedly have been said about Barbie, and we all know what happened there. Never rule Gerwig out.

9. Digger

Around a decade ago, Alejandro González Iñárritu was enjoying a superb streak at the Oscars, with back-to-back best director gongs for Birdman and The Revenant – although his only film released since then was 2022's Bardo, which was nowhere to be seen at the Oscars that year.

His next film could very well signal a return to Oscar glory, however, especially given it stars Tom Cruise in the lead role, the first film in what the megastar reportedly envisions as his return to prestige filmmaking having mainly involved himself with action franchises in recent years. The enigmatic plot synopsis reads simply: "The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove that he's humanity's saviour."

10. Ink

Danny Boyle is another filmmaker with plenty of Oscars pedigree, and this latest drama could well see him back in the mix for the first time in some years.

Based on James Graham's acclaimed stage play of the same name, it stars Jack O'Connell as former editor of The Sun Larry Lamb and Guy Pearce as notorious media mogul Rupert Murdoch, with the plot following the rise of the latter's empire. On paper, those all look like good ingredients for Oscars success.

11. Wild Horse Nine

Yet another filmmaker who is no stranger to the Oscars, Martin McDonagh will be looking to make it three best picture nominations in a row following the successes of his last two films Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin.

His latest effort is a Chile-set period drama starring John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell and Steve Buscemi and will follow a pair of CIA agents as they face a trust-testing mission from Santiago to Easter Island during 1973.

12. The Entertainment System Is Down

Triangle of Sadness marked the first time Swedish director Ruben Östlund had seen one of his films nominated for best picture, so it will be interesting to see if his next film can follow that in securing a nomination.

Another star-studded satire, it features Keanu Reeves and Kirsten Dunst and follows the passengers of a lengthy flight when they are forced to contend with their boredom after the plane's entertainment system is broken.

13. Michael

Music biopics of major stars can be hit or miss when it comes to getting nominations at the Oscars, but there is plenty of recent precedent – and given that Jackson remains one of the biggest stars to ever (moon)walk the planet, we definitely can't rule out this effort from Antoine Fuqua making the cut.

However, given the well-documented controversy surrounding Jackson, it remains to be seen exactly how this film will be received – so this is far from a sure thing at this juncture.

14. Jack of Spades

Josh O'Connor's career has been going from strength to strength in recent years, and the latest major filmmaker he's teaming up with is Joel Coen – who is, of course, one half of legendary directing duo the Coen brothers.

A gothic mystery set in Scotland, it sounds like an intriguing proposition and so if reviews are good there's definitely a possibility it could be the first solo Coen effort to land a best picture nod.

15. Parallel Tales

If you're a fan of French cinema, the idea of a film starring Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Efira, Catherine Deneuve and Vincent Cassel will probably have already set your anticipation levels extremely high.

The combination of an acclaimed director (Iranian Asghar Farhadi), an evocative subject matter (the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks) and the fact that the Academy has been embracing international cinema more than ever in recent years, suggest this could have a very good chance of a best picture slot.

16. Artificial

It's been close to a decade since Luca Guadagnino's Call Me by Your Name scored several nominations including a best picture nod, and although his five subsequent efforts haven't made the cut, he's a filmmaker who's remained very much in the zeitgeist.

If this hot-topic biographical drama starring Andrew Garfield as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman performs well critically, we could very well see him return to the line-up – watch this space.

17. Paper Tiger

Despite attracting consistent critical acclaim for films including We Own the Night, The Immigrant and Armageddon Time, James Gray appears to never have especially registered with Academy voters.

But this crime thriller starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller – which follows two brothers who get entangled in a dangerous Russian mafia scheme – has all the makings of another great film from the auteur. Could he finally get some overdue Oscar recognition?

18. Fjord

Given the Oscars have been increasingly looking further afield to the world of international cinema in recent times, it's worth looking at some of the high-profile European films due for release this year – and this family drama from Romanian director Cristian Mungiu looks very exciting indeed.

With the cast led by not one but two recent Oscar nominees in Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan, there's an awful lot of talent involved, so it's definitely one to keep an eye on.

19. 1949

Polish director Paweł Pawlikowski hasn't directed a film since 2018's Cold War – which saw him Oscar-nominated for best director after his previous film Ida had taken the best international feature award five years earlier.

Given the Academy's aforementioned embrace of international cinema since, this biographical period drama about exiled German novelist Thomas Mann looks like another decent prediction, especially when we consider that another recent Oscar nominee – Sandra Huller – is part of the cast.

20. Butterfly Jam

Russian director Kantemir Balagov turned heads on the arthouse scene with his 2019 film Beanpole, and for his first English-language effort he's assembled an impressive cast that includes Riley Keough, Barry Keoghan and Harry Melling.

Not too much has been given away about the plot beyond the fact that it centres on a Circassian circus troupe in New Jersey, but it's another one which could end up attracting awards attention if reviews turn out positive.

21. The Dog Stars

The ever-prolific Sir Ridley Scott returns with this star-studded post-apocalyptic thriller following a civilian pilot (Jacob Elordi) and a tough ex-marine (Josh Brolin) who face struggles in the aftermath of a flu virus that nearly wiped out humanity. Margaret Qualley and Guy Pearce also star.
Scott has never exactly been shy when it comes to singing his own praises, and the veteran filmmaker has already labelled his latest effort "maybe my best movie". If such a bold statement turns out to have any truth, then surely this film is a shoo-in for a best picture nomination.

22. The Drama

As if leads Zendaya and Robert Pattinson weren't reason enough to put this film on our list, the mysterious nature of the plot and the early buzz from those who have seen it at test screenings suggest this film from Dream Scenario director Kristoffer Borgli could really capture the zeitgeist.

But will it be good enough for a best picture nod? With release set for next month, it might not be too long before we find out if this one really has a shot.

23. Klara and the Sun

Taika Waititi's recent output – including Next Goal Wins and Thor: Love and Thunder – hasn't attracted anywhere near the acclaim of his earlier efforts. But with terrific source material – Kazuo Ishiguro's 2021 novel of the same name – and a stellar cast including Amy Adams and Jenna Ortega, perhaps this could be the one to put him back on track.

A lengthy delay between the end of production – which wrapped almost two years ago – and eventual release have set the alarm bells ringing for some pundits, but there remains an outside chance that Waititi could once again find his film back in the best picture line-up more than half a decade on from the success of Jojo Rabbit.

24. Toy Story 5

Pixar is returning to arguably its best-loved property with a fifth film focusing on Woody, Buzz and co – which will see them go head-to-head with a new threat to playtime: a frog-like tablet named Lilypad, voiced by Greta Lee.
While it might seem like a long-shot for best picture, it's not without precedent: the tremendous third film in the series made the line-up following its release in 2010. Could a return to form see Pixar back in the main category, as opposed to being consigned to best animated feature consideration as has been the case more recently?

25. The Other Mommy

Given how great a night horror had at the 2026 Oscars, it would be silly not to include at least one film from the genre in this list. And although there are a few options to choose from – including the reportedly terrifying upcoming A24 release Undertone – we're opting for this one as something of a wildcard prediction.

Starring Oscar-winner Jessica Chastain in the lead role and helmed by British director Rob Savage, it follows a paranormal entity known as Other Mommy who threatens a young girl and starts haunting her home. Let's see how much the Academy has really embraced horror cinema...

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