Sinners Made Oscars History, but Not the Kind Anyone Expected

"With 16 nominations-two more than Titanic or All About Eve or La La Land- Sinners made Oscars history before the 98th Academy Awards ceremony had even begun. But with all the potential records on the table, the one it ended up setting was one few had expected. With only four wins, it now stands as movie with the most losses-12-in the history of the Oscars."

"To be fair, only a handful of Oscars contenders have ever had the opportunity to lose so many times. (The previous record, split five ways, was 11 losses, set by 1948's Johnny Belinda and tied by 1964's Becket, 1977's The Turning Point, 1985's The Color Purple, and 2021's The Power of the Dog.) And, at least mathematically, Sinners having more nominations than any movie in history made it more vulnerable, too."

"But when the inaugural Oscar for casting-another first, and part of how Sinners set the new nominations record-went to Sinners' chief competition, One Battle After Another, things started to look bad. After Sinners triumphed at the Screen Actors Guild's Actor Awards, the last major precursor, winning both best actor and the top prize for best ensemble, it seemed likely that Oscars night would bring a repeat."

Sinners achieved a historic 16 Oscar nominations, surpassing previous records held by Titanic, All About Eve, and La La Land. However, the film's unprecedented nomination count translated into unexpected losses rather than wins. With only four victories, Sinners now holds the record for most Oscar losses at 12, breaking the previous record of 11 losses shared by five films including Johnny Belinda, Becket, The Turning Point, The Color Purple, and The Power of the Dog. Despite early predictions that widespread support across multiple Academy branches would ensure numerous wins, Sinners faced mounting defeats throughout the ceremony. The film's losses in supporting actress, costume design, and hair and makeup were anticipated, but the inaugural casting award going to competitor One Battle After Another signaled trouble ahead.

Read at Slate Magazine