Oscars 2027 Best Picture Predictions: Nominees, Contenders, & Winner

The Odyssey is just one of the movies chasing a Best Picture nomination and win at the 2027 Oscars. Here are our predictions for the category.

Published Oct 11, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT

Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release.

He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years.

The Oscars 2027 will see some of Hollywood's biggest movies and directors in competition to win Best Picture, as there is an impressive group of contenders and potential nominees once again. Last year, it was One Battle After Another versus Sinners that defined the Best Picture race, with Paul Thomas Anderson's film ultimately coming out on top.

While there are 23 other Oscar categories up for grabs this year, the majority of them act as a funnel to Best Picture. Whoever wins the Best Director 2027 Oscar will statistically give their feature a great chance to win the top category. Additionally, any director who misses a nomination will see their film's chances of winning Best Picture drop dramatically; only six movies have won Best Picture without an accompanying Best Director nom.

The other key indicator for Best Picture is the screenplay categories. Only seven movies in history have won the category without being featured in Best Original or Adapted Screenplay, and Titanic was the last to do so nearly 30 years ago. Having great performances and impressive below-the-line achievements are always a great boost, but they aren't as statistically important as strong direction and writing.

With all that in mind, it's time for the first proper look at the Best Picture race ahead of the 99th Academy Awards on March 14, 2027. There are a handful of movies that are firmly entrenched in this race, while others are looking to use the rest of awards season to shore up their spot or become bigger factors. Stay tuned, as I'll be updating this page for the next several months as needed.

The Best Picture Nomination Frontrunners

Amazon MGM Studios

A lot has changed since March when I offered up 10 way-too-early Best Picture Oscars 2027 contenders, but a few of those movies have remained as part of the race.

Project Hail Mary has plenty of goodwill and fans within the industry that it has stayed around in this conversation, even though it came out several months ago. With the possibility of nominations in Best Director, Best Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Visual Effects, Score, and more, Amazon MGM's movie can build a Best Picture-worthy résumé.

The Odyssey's release cemented it as a major Best Picture contender. Nolan is fresh off Oppenheimer winning this category, so the euphoric response to his latest movie has arguably made it the title to beat. It's expected to contend in practically every eligible category, which is why it seems inconceivable that voters would leave it out of Best Picture.

Expectations remain sky-high for Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Three. The last two installments both got Best Picture nominations, and the threequel's quality looks on-par, if not better. Dune 3 should earn nominations in most technical categories, but it's hoping for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King's treatment of being showered in Oscar wins for closing out a terrific trilogy.

ChronoLogic

Rearrange the movies into the correct US release order.

Fjord is still very much a contender after its Palme d'Or win at Cannes. It will be in the mix for nominations in Director, Actor, Actress, and more, but whether it connects with enough voters has become a bigger question. Neon will need to give Fjord strong support to stay in the Best Picture race.

Olivia Wilde's The Invite may inject some rare comedy into the Best Picture lineup. The starry ensemble is poised to be in consideration for nominations in every acting category, not to mention Director and Screenplay. That type of package would easily support a Best Picture nomination.

Netflix's biggest Best Picture contender in 2027 is La Bola Negra, a queer musical epic set across multiple narratives. The ambitious project has earned rave reviews after its Cannes debut, with recognition in Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Director, and some below-the-line categories possible.

Wild Horse Nine looks to give Martin McDonagh another Best Picture contender. His last two movies, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin, were both nominated. His new film has expectations to contend in Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Screenplay, and more.

Jesse Eisenberg seems to have a Best Picture frontrunner on his hands with his latest directorial effort, The Debut. After A Real Pain found success at the Oscars, his new feature is in the mix for multiple categories, including the predicted Best Actress Oscars 2027 winner. That could be enough to push The Debut into the 10 Best Picture nominees.

Project Hail Mary might not be the only Amazon MGM Best Picture nominee, as I Play Rocky could crash the party as a crowd-pleaser. Peter Farrelly (Green Book) is no stranger to directing surprise Best Picture contenders. With the chance for recognition in categories like Best Casting or Best Actor, as well as voters' familiarity with Rocky and Sylvester Stallone, the drama will hope to pull off a Best Picture win just as the original 1977 film did.

It's still early, but Luca Guadagnino's Artificial could be the sleeper contender for Best Picture. Artificial's first reactions were incredibly positive, putting the movie in position to contend for Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, and more. Given the backstory behind the film's release and its AI focus, I can easily see a world where Hollywood rallies around the film. Guadagnino has made a Best Picture nominee before, too, with Call Me By Your Name.

Other Movies In The Mix For Best Picture

© Lionsgate / Courtesy Everett Collection

There are lots of other movies hoping to break into the top group, most of which have yet to be seen outside of film festivals. Obsession's excellent performance in theaters and overall attention has given it a shot at entering the Best Picture mix. Michael could even follow in Bohemian Rhapsody's footsteps to bring another music icon's biopic into legit Oscar consideration.

Digger remains in contention thanks to the growing support its received following its divisive launch. The Social Reckoning's odds of getting nominated have taken a hit by its mixed reception, which hasn't in turn produced extremely positive defenders.

Festivals have also put a slew of films into consideration, with most needing more eyeballs to come their way to find enough support. These titles include All of a Sudden, Club Kid, You Can See Everything, Elsinore, Being Heumann, Possible Love, Tender Loving Care, Behemoth!, Wildwood, Paper Tiger, Minotaur, and Fatherland.

Godzilla Minus Zero's early reactions suggest a Best Picture nomination is possible. Whether The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth or Werwulf become major contenders will depend on how well they are received once the studios start showing them off.

Predicted Best Picture Winner

With much of awards season still to come, the Best Picture winner is far from determined. La Bola Negra, Wild Horse Nine, Dune: Part Three, and more are hoping to be the movie that voters will take to the most. But at this stage, there is no doubt that The Odyssey is in pole position.

The question for Christopher Nolan's movie is whether it can maintain this spot. I'm not convinced that voters won't look elsewhere by the time March comes around, feeling less urgency to give The Odyssey this reward after making Nolan a Best Picture-winning director with Oppenheimer. If I had to take The Odyssey versus the field, I'd lean the latter at this stage.

The problem is no movie has come to definitively knock The Odyssey out of the top spot. That's why I'm going with the "safe" prediction for the Oscars 2027 Best Picture winner.