For readers asking when are the oscars 2026: the 98th annual Academy Awards are a week away, and voting has just closed. Voting began on Feb. 26 and closed Thursday at 8: 00 p. m. ET, and critics and commentators are framing the ceremony as both unpredictable and historic.
When Are The Oscars 2026: Voting, timing and historic nominations
Voting for the awards opened on Feb. 26 and closed Thursday at 8: 00 p. m. ET. These Academy Awards have already made history: Sinners earned 16 nominations, surpassing long-standing tallies held by past contenders. The academy added a new category this year, best achievement in casting, the first new category since best animated feature was introduced in 2001.
With ballots now in, industry observers note that momentum from guild awards and actor awards remains a key factor in the final stretches of Academy voting; actors comprise the largest voting bloc and can swing acting races late in the balloting window.
Predictions: Who Will Win, and Who Should Win?
Richard Roeper, film critic, has laid out a slate of expectations for the evening. He expects One Battle After Another and Sinners to split the ceremony, with each film taking roughly five awards. Roeper also projects Frankenstein to claim up to four Oscars in craft categories and names KPop Demon Hunters as a likely winner for best animated feature and original song. His breakdown anticipates nine other films or performances picking up single awards across the night.
Critics and editors have pushed certain films as standouts: a film called One Battle After Another has been highlighted by film editor Barry Hertz as the best film of 2025; Sinners is singled out for its genre-blending, bluesy, vampire, gangster musical energy anchored by Michael B. Jordan in dual roles; and Marty Supreme is praised for a defining central performance by Timothée Chalamet. Frankenstein and other high-profile titles are framed as strong contenders in technical and craft fields.
Roeper frames the late ballots as decisive, noting many voters wait until the final days to cast votes — a dynamic that feeds the evening’s unpredictability and could alter expected outcomes.
How to Watch the Nominees — Streaming and Availability
There’s still time to catch up: almost all major nominees are available to stream or rent, in many cases in Canada. Films named among the leading contenders—Sinners, One Battle After Another, Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, Hamnet and others—are accessible on a range of platforms for viewers who want to watch before the ceremony. Critics’ picks and reviews have highlighted performances and filmmaking across that slate, offering viewers guidance on which films to prioritize ahead of the show.
What’s next: with ballots closed and the broadcast a week away, attention now turns to the ceremony itself and whether the evening will follow projections or deliver surprises. For anyone still asking when are the oscars 2026, expect results and verdicts to arrive on the night of the awards, confirming whether the projected splits and craft wins materialize.
