What do the Oscar Nominations reveal about the Future of Cinema?

The Most Nominated Movies 

In 2025, Emilia Pérez leads the race with 13 nominations. It is available in 20+ countries and on 4 subscription platforms: Netflix, Mubi, SRF Play and UniversCiné. With 12 wins, including 2 Golden Globes and 5 European Film Awards, it is also the most awarded film of the year. 

Other strong contenders for 2025 Oscars include The Brutalist and Wicked, both securing 10 nominations. While The Brutalist is a powerful drama, Wicked blends fantasy and musical elements, aligning with current trends in cinema. 

Despite these nominations, Dune: Part Two, a Legendary production, stands out as the most popular film of 2024. However, two highly nominated films, A Complete Unknown and The Brutalist, are still unavailable on U.S. streaming platforms. Meanwhile, Dune: Part Two is accessible on only 2 subscription services: Sling TV and DIRECTV Stream. 

The record of French cinema at the 2025 Oscars 

In the 97th Oscars edition, France surprised with a total of 31 nominations, which widely surpasses the 11 received in 2024. What are the reasons for this phenomenon? Emilia Pérez’s 13 nominations beat the old French record holder: The Artist, which in 2012 obtained 12 nominations. In addition, 2 French filmmakers are candidates for Best Director category: Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez) and Coralie Fargeat (The Substance). 

Furthermore, France co-produces 4 of the 5 movies nominated for Best International Feature Film: Emilia Pérez, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Flow and I’m Still Here. This year, Emilia Pérez and I’m Still Here have been nominated for both Best International Feature Film and Best Picture. A similar situation took place in 2024 with The Zone of Interest, which received both nominations and won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film. The same happened with All Quiet on the Western Front in 2023 and with Drive My Card in 2022. The only film that achieved both prizes was Parasite in 2020. 

Finally, French cinema also broke its own record with short films, obtaining three nominations for Best Animated Short Film: Yuck!, produced by Ikki Films and Iliade and Films; Wander to Wonder, produced by Les Productions de Milou and Pictanovo; Beautiful Men, by Arte France Cinéma, CNC, Fontevraud and NEF Animation and one for Best Live Action Short Film (The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent, produced by Les Films Norfolk). 

Cynthia Erivo: The Next EGOT Winner? 

Could Cynthia Erivo be the next to join the prestigious EGOT club? The Wicked star could become the 20th person to achieve this status by winning the Oscar for Best Actress in 2025. EGOT winners have earned the four major U.S. entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. So far, only 19 people have reached this milestone, with Elton John being the most recent addition after winning an Emmy in 2024. Notable EGOT winners include Viola Davis, Jennifer Hudson, and Alan Menken.  

Additionally, in 2025, Erivo received 4 nominations, marking her first-ever Oscar nod. She previously won a Daytime Emmy Award (2017) and a Hollywood Film Award (2019) for Best Acting in Today and Harriet, respectively. 

Netflix: The Only Streaming Platform Represented at the 2025 Oscars 

One striking fact about the 2025 Oscars is that Netflix is the only streaming platform with original productions nominated, securing a total of 16 nominations. In 2024, Netflix earned 18 nominations and became the only streaming platform to win an Oscar for The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, which won Best Short Film. In contrast to previous years, where Apple TV+, Disney+ and Prime Video had a stronger presence. 

Horror: the lack of representation of the genre in the Oscars 

This year, only two of the 16 movies nominated for the Oscars—Nosferatu and The Substance—belong to the horror genre, making up less than 15% of the total nominees. What makes this remarkable is that it’s the highest percentage of horror representation at the Oscars in the past decade. 

Over the last 10 years, only 4 horror films have received Oscar nominations in any category: Get Out (2017), The Lighthouse (2019), The Substance (2024), and Nosferatu (2024). Among them, only two —Get Out and The Substance—were nominated for Best Picture.  

In fact, in the entire history of the Academy Awards, only 1 horror movie has ever won Best Picture: The Silence of the Lambs in 1991. 

Despite horror’s enduring popularity, its Academy Award recognition remains minimal. With only 2 horror films nominated this year, will the genre ever gain broader acceptance at the Oscars? Could The Substance break the long-standing pattern and secure a historic win? 

The 2025 Oscar nominations highlight key industry trends: France’s record-breaking presence, Netflix’s dominance as the only streaming platform represented, and horror’s limited but growing recognition. Emilia Pérez leads with 13 nominations, while Cynthia Erivo could make history as an EGOT winner. 

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