2025 Critics Choice Awards Film Predictions

The 31st annual Critics’ Choice Awards will take place tomorrow (Sunday, January 4 2026) and broadcast live on both coasts on E! and USA Network from 7:00-10:00pm ET / 4:00-7:00pm PT. Chelsea Handler returns as the host as the star-studded show will take place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

Continuing its combined film and television model to highlight the cinematic, televised and streamed achievements of the year. You can expect the evening to present red carpet coverage, iconic moments and anticipated wins come to fruition. The CCA will also mark the first televised awards show of the year as the 2025 awards season starts to really get into gear. Below are my predictions for who would win in every competitive film category.

Best Picture

• Bugonia
• Frankenstein
• Hamnet
• Jay Kelly
• Marty Supreme
• One Battle After Another
• Sentimental Value
• Sinners
• Train Dreams
• Wicked: For Good

Best Actor

• Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon
• Joel Edgerton for Train Dreams
• Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another
• Michael B. Jordan for Sinners
• Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme
• Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent

Best Actress

• Amanda Seyfried for The Testament of Ann Lee
• Chase Infiniti for One Battle After Another
• Emma Stone for Bugonia
• Jessie Buckley for Hamnet
• Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value
• Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Best Supporting Actor

• Adam Sandler for Jay Kelly
• Benicio del Toro for One Battle After Another
• Jacob Elordi for Frankenstein
• Paul Mescal for Hamnet
• Sean Penn for One Battle After Another
• Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value

Best Supporting Actress

• Amy Madigan for Weapons
• Ariana Grande for Wicked: For Good
• Elle Fanning for Sentimental Value
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for Sentimental Value
• Teyana Taylor for One Battle After Another
• Wunmi Mosaku for Sinners

Best Young Actor/Actress

• Cary Christopher for Weapons
• Everett Blunk for The Plague
• Jacobi Jupe for Hamnet
• Miles Caton for Sinners
• Nina Ye for Left-Handed Girl
• Shannon Mahina Gorman for Rental Family

Best Director

• Chloé Zhao for Hamnet
• Guillermo del Toro for Frankenstein
• Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value
• Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme
• Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another
• Ryan Coogler for Sinners

Best Original Screenplay

• Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value
• Eva Victor for Sorry, Baby
• Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer for Jay Kelly
• Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme
• Ryan Coogler for Sinners
• Zach Cregger for Weapons

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrel for Hamnet
• Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar for Train Dreams
• Guillermo del Toro for Frankenstein
• Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don McKellar, Jahye Lee for No Other Choice
• Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another
• Will Tracy for Bugonia

Best Casting and Ensemble

• Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another
• Douglas Aibel, Nina Gold for Jay Kelly
• Francine Maisler for Sinners
• Jennifer Venditti for Marty Supreme
• Nina Gold for Hamnet
• Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey for Wicked: For Good

Best Cinematography

• Adolpho Veloso for Train Dreams
• Autumn Durald Arkapaw for Sinners
• Claudio Miranda for F1
• Dan Laustsen for Frankenstein
• Łukasz Żal for Hamnet
• Michael Bauman for One Battle After Another

Best Editing

• Andy Jurgensen for One Battle After Another
• Kirk Baxter for A House of Dynamite
• Michael P. Shawver for Sinners
• Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme
• Stephen Mirrione for F1
• Viridiana Lieberman for The Perfect Neighbor

Best Production Design

• Fiona Crumble, Alice Felton for Hamnet
• Hannah Beachler, Monique Champagne for Sinners
• Jack Fisk, Adam Willis for Marty Supreme
• Kasra Farahani, Jille Azis for The Fantastic Four: First Steps
• Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales for Wicked: For Good
• Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau for Frankenstein

Best Costume Design

• Colleen Atwood, Christine Cantella for Kiss of the Spider Woman
• Kate Hawley for Frankenstein
• Lindsay Pugh for Hedda
• Malgosia Turzanska for Hamnet
• Paul Tazewell for Wicked: For Good
• Ruth E. Carter for Sinners

Best Hair and Make Up

• Flora Moody, John Nolan for 28 Years Later
• Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier, Laura Blount for Wicked: For Good
• Kazu Hiro, Felix Fox, Mia Neal for The Smashing Machine
• Leo Satkovich, Melizah Wheat, Jason Collins for Weapons
• Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey for Frankenstein
• Siân Richards, Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Shunika Terry for Sinners

Best Visual Effects

• Alex Wuttke, Ian Lowe, Jeff Sutherland, Kirstin Hall for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
• Dennis Beradi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, José Granell for Frankenstein
• Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett for Avatar: Fire and Ash
• Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean for Sinners
• Ryan Tudhope, Nikeah Forde, Robert Harrington, Nicolas Chevallier, Eric Leven, Edward Price, Keith Dawson for F1
• Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stéphane Nazé, Guy Williams for Superman

Best Stunt Design

• Andy Gill for Sinners
• Brian Machleit for One Battle After Another
• Gary Powell, Luciano Bacheta, Craig Dolby for F1
• Stephen Dunlevy, Kyle Gardiner, Jackson Spidell, Jeremy Marinas, Jan Petřina, Domonkos Párdányi, Kinga Kósa-Gavalda for Ballerina
• Giedrius for Warfare
• Wade Eastwood for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Best Animated Feature

• Arco
• Elio
• In Your Dreams
• K-Pop Demon Hunters
• Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
• Zootopia 2

Best Comedy

• Eternity
• Friendship
• The Ballad of Wallis Island
• The Naked Gun
• The Phoenician Scheme
• Splitsville

Best Foreign Language Film

• It Was Just an Accident
• Left-Handed Girl
• No Other Choice
• The Secret Agent
• Sirāt
• Belén

Best Song

• “Clothed by the Sun” by Daniel Blumberg for The Testament of Ann Lee
• “Drive” by Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Blake Slatkin for F1
• “Golden” by Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, Teddy for K-Pop Demon Hunters
• “I Lied to You” by Raphael Saadiq, Ludwig Göransson for Sinners
• “The Girl in the Bubble” by Stephen Schwartz for Wicked: For Good
• “Train Dreams” by Nick Cave, Bryce Dessner for Train Dreams

Best Score

• Alexandre Desplat for Frankenstein
• Daniel Lopatin for Marty Supreme
• Hans Zimmer for F1
• Jonny Greenwood for One Battle After Another
• Ludwig Göransson for Sinners
• Max Richter for Hamnet

Best Sound

• Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John for F1
• Chris Welcker, Benny Burtt, Brandon Proctor, Steve Boeddeker, Felipe Pacheco, David V. Butler for Sinners
• Jose Antonio Garcia, Christopher Scarabosio, Tony Villaflor for One Battle After Another
• Laia Casanovas for Sirāt
• Mitch Low, Glenn Freemantle, Ben Barker, Howard Bargroff, Richard Spooner for Warfare
• Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern, Greg Chapman for Frankenstein

Stay tuned for live updates on our socials as the winners are announced and let us know what you think.

Thanks for reading our article covering our predictions for the 2025 Critics Choice Awards Film categories. Make sure to check out our predictions for the TV categories here.