One Battle After Another’s Biggest Oscars Rival Is Picking Up A Lot Of Steam

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A new film is gaining attention and could become a strong competitor at the 98th Academy Awards, potentially overshadowing the current favorite, One Battle After Another. The Paul Thomas Anderson-directed movie has received excellent reviews and is now considered the leading candidate for both a Best Picture nomination and the win itself.

Despite strong competition from films like Sinners, Wicked: For Good, and Marty Supreme, the film has gained significant attention, indicating its broad appeal to Academy voters. However, Hamnet‘s recent success at film festivals suggests it could be gaining momentum and potentially becoming the favorite to win an Oscar.

Hamnet Has Been Earning More And More Film Festival Wins

Many believe Hamnet is a strong contender for Best Picture at the upcoming Academy Awards. It’s gaining popularity and could surpass One Battle After Another as the favorite. The film received excellent reviews after its debut at Telluride and went on to win the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Films that win the TIFF Audience Award almost always go on to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. The only exception since 2009, when the Best Picture category expanded to include ten films, was “Where Do We Go Now?” in 2011. But the overwhelmingly positive reaction to One Battle After Another has significantly changed the outlook for this year’s Oscar race.

The film has been very well-received, making it a likely contender for Best Picture. While critics are praising the movie and predicting success at the Oscars, recent Audience Awards at the San Diego, Virginia, Mill Valley, and Middleburg film festivals – following its success at TIFF – have kept another film, Hamnet, in the running.

Critics are really praising One Battle After Another, but Hamnet is gaining momentum at film festivals. This suggests that voters are drawn to the film’s moving portrayal of grief, which could significantly improve its chances of winning awards. The story’s emphasis on how art can help us heal is the kind of theme that award-winning filmmakers often favor.

Adding to its appeal, the film features excellent acting, which should gain it favor with the Academy voters. The festival awards are a real advantage for Hamnet, indicating that audiences are responding to it more strongly than they are to the more complex One Battle After Another.

How Hamnet And One Battle After Another’s Oscar Chances Compare

It’s difficult to predict how things will go, as the Paul Thomas Anderson film didn’t premiere at any festivals. However, Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel is benefiting from a series of recent wins. Despite strong competition from films like Sinners, Marty Supreme, and Wicked: For Good, One Battle After Another and Hamnet are now considered the leading contenders for Best Picture.

The strong reviews for Hamnet have put Jesse Buckley and Paul Mescal in contention for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor awards. Plus, Chloé Zhao previously won a Best Director Oscar for Nomadland, showing the Academy clearly admires her work and suggesting she’s likely to be nominated again.

As a film buff, I’m predicting this movie will rack up a lot of awards beyond the big, flashy categories. It’s just beautifully made – the production design, costumes, and overall look are stunning, especially for a period piece. I wouldn’t be surprised to see wins for things like casting, the screenplay adaptation, cinematography, editing, and a fantastic original score. It really excels in all those technical and creative areas.

Recent festival awards suggest audiences are deeply moved by the film Hamnet, potentially giving it an edge. However, Paul Thomas Anderson’s film remains a strong contender. While Hamnet hasn’t been widely released yet, One Battle After Another has been a success for Warner Bros. since its release in September.

The movie will probably be available to rent or stream around the time Oscar voting begins, which could help it get more attention than Hamnet. Its generally lighthearted and funny style might also appeal to more voters compared to Hamnet‘s very sad and emotional story.

Many believe Paul Thomas Anderson deserves an award, and this could give him an advantage over recent winner Zhao in the competition for Best Director. Additionally, the film excels technically, making it a likely nominee for awards in categories like casting, screenplay adaptation, production design, cinematography, sound editing, film editing, and original music.

The film’s relevance to current political issues could also help it stay popular with award voters. Plus, several nominations from the Gotham Awards indicate that industry insiders still believe Chase Infiniti, Benecio del Toro, and Teyana Taylor deserve recognition for their performances.

Warner Bros. is expected to heavily promote One Battle After Another during awards season, potentially overshadowing the campaign for Neon’s Hamnet. While both films have received excellent reviews, One Battle After Another’s action-packed style, famous actors, and broader appeal could give it a lasting impression on voters, whereas Hamnet relies more on emotional resonance.

Whether or not Hamnet continues to win awards at major film festivals could be crucial. These wins often influence who gets nominated for and ultimately wins an Oscar. If Hamnet keeps gaining momentum, it could become the clear favorite to win at the next Oscars, surpassing One Battle After Another.

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2025-11-04 00:19