The 98th Academy Awards are scheduled to begin today at 7 p.m. ET at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The broadcast will air live on ABC and stream on Hulu. Hosted by Conan O’Brien for the second consecutive year, the ceremony arrives amid heightened security and severe industry anxieties.
Event organizers are coordinating closely with the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department following a federal warning about a potential Iranian threat against California. No specific danger to the Oscars has been cited by authorities. The broader geopolitical environment involves the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, a conflict that prompted Pope Leo to issue a plea for a ceasefire early Sunday morning.
Beyond the security perimeter, the Hollywood film industry faces profound internal challenges. Widespread consolidation, highlighted by the active sale of Warner Bros. to Paramount Skydance, and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence have fueled widespread concerns about job security and the future of creative risk-taking. Even as figures like Aneet Padda praise standout acting performances in recent independent films, the broader studio sector is contracting.
The Best Picture category presents an open contest between two starkly different films. Ryan Coogler’s vampire horror film “Sinners” enters the ceremony with 16 nominations, breaking the all-time record of 14 previously held by films like “Titanic” and “La La Land.” It competes directly against Paul Thomas Anderson’s darkly comic thriller “One Battle After Another,” which secured top honors at the Producers Guild Awards and the BAFTAs.
The Best Actor race features Timothée Chalamet for “Marty Supreme,” Leonardo DiCaprio for “One Battle After Another,” and Michael B. Jordan for “Sinners.” Jordan experienced a late surge in momentum after winning a recent Actor Award. Jessie Buckley is the heavily favored nominee for Best Actress for her performance in “Hamnet.”
To ensure voting integrity this year, the Academy implemented an online tracking system. The new technology verifies whether voting members actually streamed the films they are judging on the digital platform.