On Thursday, January 22, 2026, the Oscars released the nominations for their award show premiering in March. These prestigious film awards recognize the best movies of the past year, covering many categories of film. With the buzz of the nominations, people come together to share their thoughts on who/what should’ve and shouldn’t have been nominated. While it’s inevitable that every film you enjoyed throughout the year won’t be nominated, there are some stories and performances that are universally praised throughout the year and expected to receive their flowers. The other award shows leading up to the Oscars also add to this conversation, as they usually are the tell of how the Oscars will go. It is clear that this season is very important to a lot of people, including those in the industry and those at home watching. Although the louder uproar will occur March 15th, the day of the awards, nomination upset is also a huge part of the awards season. So, with that, what films caused the biggest upsets over their nominations and/or lack of nominations?

This year in particular has been very surprising in its nominations, subsequently having its fair share of snubs. One of the biggest ones was actor Paul Mescal not being nominated for his supporting performance in Hamnet. This adaptation of the 2020 novel by Maggie O’Farrell was definitely recognized this award season. Hamnet was nominated for eight categories at the 2026 Oscars, which the public universally deemed as well deserved. However, Mescal’s performance was one of the leading components of the film, so his snub made a lot of people discontent. However, people are still happy with all the other nominations it has gotten alone at the Oscars and throughout the award season as a whole. Another major snub of the season was Wicked: For Good receiving no nominations at the Oscars. It’s no secret that the sequel to the runaway hit in 2024 wasn’t as well received as part I, however, it was expected to get a just allocation considering all the nominations Wicked got at the 2025 Oscars. Along with Best Visual Effects, Costume Design, and Production Design, Wicked: For Good’s most surprising snub was not nominated Ariana Grande for Best Supporting Actress. Public opinion universally agreed that Grande’s performance was a standout of both films, especially in part II. Even though the second film might be a bit uneven, the supporting performance of the Good Witch keeps the film afloat, making it quite upsetting that she wasn’t nominated. Moving to the Best Actor category, many believe that Jesse Plemons was snubbed for his performance in Bugonia. While his co-star, Emma Stone, received a nomination for Best Actress, Plemons’ performance has appeared to be ignored. Bugonia thrives off its dialogue and leading performances from its actors. Here, nominating one and not the other is definitely an odd choice by the Oscars. Especially since Plemons’ performance was just as strong, if not stronger than Stone’s. Furthermore, Bugonia was nominated for a total of four Oscars, which is another source of confusion as to why they didn’t just give it one more. Another snub for a leading role was that of Jennifer Lawrence in Die My Love. Before its release, this psychological thriller was expected to make some noise at the Oscars this year, but ended up receiving zero nominations. However, one thing that all viewers agreed on was that Lawrence’s performance was undeniably strong. Lawrence was devoted to her role and truly gave this performance her all. So, it was a bit of a let down that she wasn’t recognized. The love for her performance is shown as her snub for Best Actress was more of an upset than the lack of nominations for the film as a whole. Another snub for this category is Chase Infiniti not being nominated for her leading role in One Battle After Another. One Battle After Another has definitely been recognized this awards season, especially at the Oscars, but many were surprised that Infiniti didn’t get her solo moment. It is even more of a surprise how strong Infiniti’s performance was, considering this was her first role in a feature film. With a first time performance like hers, it’s a shame that she wasn’t nominated for Best Actress. One of the last biggest and most upsetting snubs for this Oscars season is the film Sorry Baby not receiving any nominations. This indie film was wildly underrated this past year and was a very unexpecting, impactful movie. Sorry Baby was written by, directed by, and starred Eva Victor. This all around debut for Victor explores heavy themes of sexual assault and Victor’s cathartic perspective resonated with many viewers. Many people hoped Sorry Baby would be recognized for Victor’s fantastic job for her first time on the big screen, but it appears that the Academy opted for nominating films that created more of a public buzz. 

While people get quite animated about the awards season, it is clear that the films that were nominated aren’t the end all be all of the year. The films that do get recognized at award shows like the Oscars are just a very small amount of films released throughout the year. So many wonderful films go unnoticed and just because they aren’t nominated, doesn’t mean they aren’t as good. There are numerous films released throughout the year to check out and you shouldn’t limit your viewing experience to just the Oscar nominees. Anyways, with all of the buzz of the nominees, it will be interesting to see who actually takes the win out of those who were nominated. It’s safe to say that viewers are in for a treat on March 15th.