Sean Fennesy and Amanda Dobbins host this episode of The Big Picture, diving deep into the 2026 Academy Award nominations aftermath. The show is now available on Netflix while maintaining editorial independence from the streaming service.

The hosts address the weekend box office where Mercy topped Avatar: Fire and Ash, and discuss concerns about 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple's steep decline potentially affecting the third film's production. They also preview the crowded upcoming weekend with multiple new releases including Sam Raimi's Send Help and Jason Statham's Shelter.

The main focus shifts to answering listener questions about the Oscar nominations, with particular attention to surprising snubs like Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice and The Testament of Ann Lee. They also reassess their Best Picture power rankings in light of Sinners' impressive 16 nominations versus One Battle After Another's 13.

The Mysterious Snubs: No Other Choice and Ann Lee

Park Chan-wook's No Other Choice was the most asked-about snub, despite the filmmaker's 25-year celebrated career and the film's commercial success at $10 million domestic

Possible factors include Park's WGA expulsion controversy, Neon's strategic focus on other titles like Surat and I Saw the TV Glow, and timing issues with the film's awards positioning

The Testament of Ann Lee suffered from late acquisition by Searchlight after festivals, missing crucial campaign timing that could have positioned Amanda Seyfried's performance for recognition

"If they actually could have bumped Housemaid up or you'd bumped Housemaid and Ann Lee up a month, and so the success of Housemaid is a little more established before voting" - Amanda

Sinners vs One Battle: The Real Best Picture Race

Sinners' 16 nominations create a legitimate challenge to One Battle After Another's presumed frontrunner status, with both films sharing the same distributor creating internal competition

"Everything that you said is true... but you look at the last several years, everything everywhere all at once, Oppenheimer and Enora, you know, decided pretty early" - Amanda on why One Battle remains favored

Sinners benefits from having the Black Panther legacy team of Oscar winners Ruth Carter and Hannah Beekler, plus strong below-the-line support across technical categories

Early acting wins will be crucial indicators, with a Delroy Lindo or Wunmi Mosaku sweep potentially signaling Sinners' momentum

The Leo DiCaprio Mystery and Campaign Dynamics

Leonardo DiCaprio's snub for One Battle After Another remains unexplained, with Timothy Chalamet's more traditional Oscar-bait role in Marty Supreme taking precedence

"If Leo doesn't have an Oscar for the revenant, it's hard for me to imagine they're not giving it to him here" - Jack on the 'it's his time' factor working against Leo

Kate Hudson's Sing Sing Blue nomination demonstrates the power of industry relationships and campaigning, with her leveraging decades of Hollywood connections

The Academy's changing demographics favor younger winners like Chalamet over established stars, representing a generational shift in voting patterns

Festival Influence and Distribution Strategies

Fall festivals are losing their Oscar launching power, with only 6 of 10 Best Picture nominees premiering at fall festivals compared to historical dominance

Cannes is gaining influence over Venice and Telluride, with Netflix's strong Venice partnerships not translating to major Oscar success

Neon's strategy of acquiring multiple international titles paid off with Surat, I Saw the TV Glow, and other films securing nominations across categories

"One Battle didn't play because my understanding is that PTA doesn't really like the festival scene" - Sean on how mainstream films are bypassing traditional festival routes

Resources Mentioned

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