{"id":35838,"date":"2025-11-03T12:01:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T12:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/35838\/"},"modified":"2025-11-03T12:01:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T12:01:12","slug":"oscars-power-rankings-top-10-best-picture-contenders-november-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/35838\/","title":{"rendered":"Oscars power rankings: Top 10 best picture contenders November 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Guillermo del Toro\u2019s \u201cFrankenstein\u201d didn\u2019t exactly wow audiences and critics when it premiered at the Venice Film Festival, and when it landed at the Telluride Film Festival<\/a> a day later for a pair of late-night screenings, the response was even more muted. Leaving Colorado, the airport gate was full of hushed conversations between people registering their disappointment with the movie. <\/p>\n

\u201cFrankenstein,\u201d the talk went, had three strikes against it \u2014 a plodding story, computer-generated imagery that looked appalling and was employed to often ridiculous effect and, outside of Jacob Elordi\u2019s affecting turn<\/a> as the monster, acting that seemed wildly excessive (Oscar Isaac) or hopelessly lost (Mia Goth). In short: a mess. <\/p>\n

But then \u201cFrankenstein\u201d traveled to the Toronto, a city Del Toro regards as his \u201csecond home,\u201d and finished as runner-up to \u201cHamnet\u201d for the festival\u2019s People\u2019s Choice Award<\/a>. Now playing in a theatrical limited release ahead of its Nov. 7 Netflix premiere, the movie has found favor with the filmmaker\u2019s devoted fan base, selling out theaters<\/a>, including dates at Netflix\u2019s renovated Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, where admission lines wrapped around the block. And some prominent critics, including my colleague Amy Nicholson, have written some thoughtful reviews of the movie, praising Del Toro\u2019s lifelong passion project. Amy calls it the \u201cbest movie of his career.\u201d<\/a> <\/p>\n

So in this update to my post-festival Oscar power rankings for best picture<\/a>, you\u2019ll find \u201cFrankenstein,\u201d a movie that\u2019s hard to place on this list but harder still to ignore. Previous rankings are parenthetically noted. <\/p>\n

Falling out of the rankings since September: \u201cA House of Dynamite,\u201d \u201cJay Kelly\u201d<\/p>\n

10. \u2018Avatar: Fire and Ash\u2019 (Unranked) \"A <\/p>\n

A scene from 2022\u2019s \u201cAvatar: The Way of Water.\u201d<\/p>\n

(20th Century Studios)<\/p>\n

The last \u201cAvatar\u201d movie<\/a> grossed $2.3 billion and, yes, earned an Oscar nomination for best picture. Yet I\u2019m hard-pressed to find anyone who\u2019s truly excited about devoting half a day to see the next installment, which clocks in at 3 hours and 12 minutes. Just because the first two movies were nominated doesn\u2019t mean this one will be. But underestimating James Cameron\u2019s ability to connect with audiences \u2014 and awards voters \u2014 seems dumb. So here we are, No. 10, sight (still) unseen. <\/p>\n

9. \u2018Bugonia\u2019 (10) \"Emma <\/p>\n

Emma Stone in \u201cBugonia.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Atsushi Nishijima \/ Focus Features)<\/p>\n

Better than \u201cKinds of Kindness\u201d but not nearly the triumph of \u201cPoor Things,\u201d this is mid Yorgos Lanthimos \u2014 off-putting, punishing and misanthropic but also featuring another showcase for Emma Stone\u2019s bold, creative energy. There are a number of movies that could displace it as a nominee. Park Chan-wook\u2019s \u201cNo Other Choice\u201d offers a more humane \u2014 and funnier \u2014 look at ugly things people can do when desperate. But I\u2019ll stick with \u201cBugonia\u201d for now. After all, how many movies inspire people to shave their heads for a ticket<\/a>?<\/p>\n

8. \u201cFrankenstein\u201d (Unranked) \"Oscar <\/p>\n

Oscar Isaac in \u201cFrankenstein.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Ken Woroner \/ Netflix)<\/p>\n

Netflix has four movies arriving during the awards season window \u2014 the meditative stunner \u201cTrain Dreams,\u201d Katherine Bigelow\u2019s riveting, ticking-clock thriller \u201cA House of Dynamite,\u201d the George Clooney meta-charmer \u201cJay Kelly\u201d and \u201cFrankenstein.\u201d (That\u2019s how I\u2019d rank them in terms of quality.) One of these movies will be nominated. Maybe two. At this moment, nobody, including the awards team at Netflix, knows which one(s) it will be.<\/p>\n

7. \u2018It Was Just an Accident\u2019 (7) \"Mohamad <\/p>\n

Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr, left, Madj Panahi and Hadis Pakbaten in \u201cIt Was Just an Accident.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Neon)<\/p>\n

Jafar Panahi\u2019s Palme d\u2019Or-winning<\/a> thriller possesses a withering critique of the cruelty and corruption of an authoritarian regime, combined with a blistering sense of humor. Panahi (\u201cThe Circle,\u201d \u201cTaxi\u201d) has been imprisoned by the Iranian government many times for criticizing the government, and his courage has been celebrated for its spirit of artistic resistance. He has been a ubiquitous presence on the festival and awards circuit this year, eager to share both the movie and his story. As the Oscars have thoroughly embraced international movies the last several years, \u201cIt Was Just an Accident\u201d feels like it\u2019s on solid ground.<\/p>\n

6. \u2018Wicked: For Good\u2019 (6) \"Ariana <\/p>\n

Ariana Grande, left, and Cynthia Erivo in \u201cWicked: For Good.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Giles Keyte \/ Universal Pictures)<\/p>\n

An academy member recently expressed some reservations about this movie to me \u2014 not about the sequel itself, but about the prospect of seeing stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande embark on another tear-soaked promotional tour<\/a>. Whatevs. The first \u201cWicked\u201d movie earned 10 Oscar nominations, winning for production design and costumes. With the added casting category, the sequel might just surpass that number. <\/p>\n

5. \u2018Marty Supreme\u2019 (8) \"Timoth\u00e9e <\/p>\n

Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet in \u201cMarty Supreme.\u201d<\/p>\n

(A24)<\/p>\n

Josh Safdie\u2019s wildly entertaining, over-caffeinated portrait of a single-minded ping-pong player premiered on its home turf at the New York Film Festival and people left the Lincoln Center\u2019s Alice Tully Hall caught up in the rapture of the movie\u2019s delirium. It might be the movie that wins Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet his Oscar, though he\u2019ll have to go through Leonardo DiCaprio to collect the trophy.<\/p>\n

4. \u2018Sentimental Value\u2019 (3) \"Stellan <\/p>\n

Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd, left, and Renate Reinsve in \u201cSentimental Value.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Kasper Tuxen \/ Neon)<\/p>\n

Neon won best picture last year with Sean Baker\u2019s \u201cAnora,\u201d and it\u2019s not unreasonable to think it could run it back with \u201cSentimental Value,\u201d Joachim Trier\u2019s piercing drama about a family reckoning with the past and wondering if reconciliation is possible \u2014 or even desired. The three actors cast in familial roles \u2014 Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd, playing a legendary director angling for a comeback, and Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas as his daughters \u2014 are excellent, and Elle Fanning has a choice role as an A-list actor who becomes entangled in the family drama. And like \u201cAnora,\u201d this movie ends on a perfect, transcendent note. That counts for a lot.<\/p>\n

3. \u2018Sinners\u2019 (4) \"Michael <\/p>\n

Michael B. Jordan in \u201cSinners.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Eli Ade \/ Warner Bros. Pictures)<\/p>\n

\u201cSinners\u201d made a lot of noise when it was released in April and, months later, belongs in any conversation about the year\u2019s best movie. The job now is to remind voters of its worth at events like the American Cinematheque\u2019s upcoming \u201cSinners\u201d screening<\/a> with filmmaker Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan. With the level of its craft, it could score a dozen or more nominations, with only \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d as a threat to best that count. <\/p>\n

2. \u2018Hamnet\u2019 (2) \"Paul <\/p>\n

Paul Mescal in \u201cHamnet.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Focus Features)<\/p>\n

Since its tear-inducing Telluride premiere<\/a>, Chlo\u00e9 Zhao\u2019s tender portrait of love and loss and the cathartic power of art<\/a> has been hitting regional film festivals, racking up audience awards and proving that people love a good cry. Stock up on tissues now for the film\u2019s theatrical release later this month. <\/p>\n

1. \u2018One Battle After Another\u2019 (1) \"Leonardo <\/p>\n

Leonardo DiCaprio in \u201cOne Battle After Another.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Warner Bros. Pictures)<\/p>\n

The Gotham Awards did away with its budget cap a couple of years ago, allowing indie-spirited studio movies like \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d to clean up<\/a> and, one supposes, the show\u2019s sales team to move more tables at its ceremony. It was no secret that Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s angry, urgent epic would score well with film critics groups. (Panels of critics vote for the Gothams.) It\u2019s just a question of how many dinners Anderson will have to eventually attend for a movie that has easily become the most widely seen film of his career.<\/p>\n