VISUAL EFFECTS
Nominees:
“Avatar: Fire and Ash”
“The Electric State”
“F1: The Movie”
“Frankenstein”
“Jurassic World Rebirth”
“The Lost Bus”
“Sinners”
“Superman”
“Tron: Ares”
“Wicked: For Good”
Per the Academy’s press release:
Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 98th Academy Awards. The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. Academy members will be invited to view excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 10, 2026. Visual Effects Branch members will vote to determine the nominees.
Nominations voting begins on Monday, January 12, 2026, and concludes on Friday, January 16, 2026. Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026. The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
OSCAR NOMINATION PREDICTIONS
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH • 20th Century Studios
James Cameron | Director
James Cameron, Jon Landau | Producers
F1: THE MOVIE • Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original Films
Joseph Kosinski | Director
Jerry Bruckheimer, Joseph Kosinski, Lewis Hamilton, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Chad Oman | Producers
FRANKENSTEIN • Netflix
Guillermo del Toro | Director
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale, Scott Stuber | Producers
SINNERS • Warner Bros. Pictures
Ryan Coogler | Director
Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian, Ryan Coogler | Producers
SUPERMAN • Warner Bros. Pictures
James Gunn | Director
Peter Safran, James Gunn | Producers
WHY I CHOSE THOSE FIVE?
The last two Avatar films have won the Best Visual Effects Oscar, so it goes without saying that Avatar: Fire and Ash will not only land a nomination but also attempt to keep that streak alive. The film is built on some of the most state-of-the-art visual effects in the industry and leans into that craftsmanship more heavily than almost anything else in the race. Its biggest challenger appears to be the Best Picture lock Sinners, which has been racking up precursor recognition. The film boasts several standout visual effects moments, particularly in its vampire sequences, as well as the much-discussed “music evolution” scene that has everyone talking.
This category is typically dominated by CGI-heavy fare, but with Marvel absent this year, it feels like James Gunn’s Superman could fill the superhero void. All three Guardians of the Galaxy films earned nominations here, so it will be interesting to see whether that success was more Gunn-driven or Marvel-specific. F1: The Movie also feels well-positioned, with the visual effects team pulling off the impressive feat of making Brad Pitt convincingly appear as a professional racecar driver. I’m also predicting the film to land a Sound nomination, and those two categories frequently overlap. And with Frankenstein likely to emerge as a Best Picture contender, the odds feel stronger that the Academy will recognize its visual effects as well.
Wicked: For Good shouldn’t be counted out either. The first Wicked film was nominated in this category, so if the Academy is open to repeating itself, this sequel could follow suit. It also picked up a win at the Astra Creative Arts Awards, further bolstering its case. If I were to throw one more film into the mix, it would be Tron: Ares, as Disney is never a studio to dismiss outright. Still, neither of the previous Tron films received Visual Effects nominations, which is what ultimately keeps it just outside my top five. There also appears to be little-to-no buzz surrounding The Lost Bus, The Electric State, or Jurassic World Rebirth, particularly with none of the prior Jurassic World films earning nominations in this category.
“Avatar: Fire and Ash”
December 19, 2025 | 20th Century Studios | 197 min | English
Directed by James Cameron
Daniel Barrett, Richard Baneham, Joe Letteri, & Eric Saindon
Synopsis: Jake and Neytiri’s family grapples with grief, encountering a new, aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Ash People, who are led by the fiery Varang, as the conflict on Pandora escalates and a new moral focus emerges.
✰ Critics Choice Awards Nominee
✰ Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Winner
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Winner
✰ San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Winner
✰ Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Winner
✰ Austin Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Indiana Film Journalists Association Award Nominee
✰ Utah Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Online Association of Female Film Critics Awards Winner
✰ Seattle Film Critics Society Award Winner
✰ Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards Nominee
✰ American Cinematheque Tribute to the Crafts Winner
“The Electric State”
March 14, 2025 | Netflix | 125 min | English
Directed by Anthony Russo & Joe Russo
Matthew Butler, Joel Behrens, Elizabeth Bernard, Nick Cosmi, Devyn Dalton, & Geoff Haley
Synopsis: An orphaned teen hits the road with a mysterious robot to find her long-lost brother, teaming up with a smuggler and his wisecracking sidekick.
“F1: The Movie”
June 27, 2025 | Apple Original Films / Warner Bros. Pictures | 155 min | English, Spanish, German, Italian
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
Ryan Tudhope, Nikeah Forde, Robert Harrington, Nicolas Chevallier, Eric Leven, Ed Price, &
Keith Dawson
Synopsis: A Formula One driver comes out of retirement to mentor and team up with a younger driver.
✰ Critics Choice Awards Nominee
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Austin Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Online Association of Female Film Critics Awards Nominee
✰ Seattle Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
“Frankenstein”
October 17, 2025 | Netflix | 149 min | English
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, & José Granell
Synopsis: Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist, brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.
✰ Critics Choice Awards Nominee
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Austin Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards Winner
✰ Utah Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Online Association of Female Film Critics Awards Nominee
✰ Seattle Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Portland Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards Nominee
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Creative Arts Awards Nominee
“Jurassic World Rebirth”
July 2, 2025 | Universal Pictures | 133 min | English, French, Spanish
Directed by Gareth Edwards
Simone Coco, Neil Corbould, Stephen Aplin, Charmaine Chan, & David Vickery
Synopsis: Five years post-Jurassic World: Dominion (2022), an expedition braves isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures for a groundbreaking medical breakthrough.
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Creative Arts Awards Nominee
“The Lost Bus”
September 19, 2025 | Apple Original Films | 130 min | English
Directed by Paul Greengrass
Charlie Noble, Russell Bowen, David Zaretti, & Brandon K. McLaughlin
Synopsis: A wayward school bus driver and a dedicated school teacher battle to save 22 children from a terrifying inferno.
✰ Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards Nominee
“Sinners”
April 18, 2025 | Warner Bros Pictures | 137 min | English
Directed by Ryan Coogler
Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, & Donnie Dean
Synopsis: Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
✰ Critics Choice Award Nominee
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Austin Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards Nominee
✰ Utah Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Online Association of Female Film Critics Awards Nominee
✰ Seattle Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Portland Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards Nominee
“Superman”
July 11, 2025 | DC Studios / Warner Bros Pictures | 129 min | English
Directed by James Gunn
Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stephane Naze, & Guy Williams
Synopsis: Superman must reconcile his alien Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as reporter Clark Kent. As the embodiment of truth, justice and the human way he soon finds himself in a world that views these as old-fashioned.
✰ Critics Choice Awards Nominee
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Austin Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards Nominee
✰ Utah Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Portland Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards Nominee
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Creative Arts Awards Nominee
“Tron: Ares”
October 10, 2025 | Walt Disney Pictures | 119 min | English
Directed by Joachim Rønning
Ross McCabe, Jeff Capogreco, Vincent Papaix, Cameron Waldbauer, Dave Funston, & Abishek Nair
Synopsis: A highly sophisticated program, Ares, is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission.
✰ St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards Nominee
✰ Minnesota Film Critics Alliance Awards Nominee
“Wicked: For Good”
November 21, 2025 | Universal Pictures | 137 min | English
Directed by Jon M. Chu
Anthony Smith, Paul Corbould, Pablo Helman, Dale Newton, & Jonathan Fawkner
Synopsis: Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. The second of a two-part feature film adaptation of the Broadway musical.
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Creative Arts Awards Winner
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