With very limited spots at the Oscars, not every good actor, screenplay, or score can get a chance to win a statue. As time has proven, in ten years from now we’ll look back at this year’s Academy Awards and wonder how certain movies notched as many awards as they did. (13 nominations for Emilia Pรฉrez, really?) But even more so, we’ll wonder how some of the best movies of the year didn’t get nominated for what made them so special. Here are some of this year’s biggest Oscar snubs.
Challengers
Not a single nomination for the movie that took the Internet by storm is probably the biggest snub of the year. If it wasn’t a Brat summer, it was a Challengers summer. No nomination for the musical score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is probably the most shocking of any Oscars snub in recent memoryโcan anyone remember the last time they heard a movie’s score being played in the club?
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Gladiator II
It was widely expected that Denzel Washington would win Best Supporting Actor for his turn as the antagonist in Gladiator II. The legendary actor’s performance was easily the best thing about the Ridley Scott-directed sequel by a long shot. So when he wasn’t even nominated, fans all over the globe were quite surprised.
At least Denzel took it in stride. In an interview with the New York Times, he laughed it off, saying “I’ve been around for too long.”
Queer
The second Luca Guadagnino film to make this year’s list, it was a genuine surprise that Daniel Craig’s star performance in the sort-of-a-biopic was not nominated. Queer featured the former Bond become completely unrecognizable while playing a character based on famous author William S. Burroughs, to rave reviews. Additionally, it featured ANOTHER impeccable score by Reznor/Ross, and even more incredible cinematography from Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (who was also snubbed this year for Challengers, Grand Tour and Trap).
The 2025 Academy Awards will be hosted by Conan O’Brien. They will air live on ABC and Hulu on Sunday, March 2 at 7 PM EST. For a list of all nominees, click here.
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA โ FEBRUARY 26: Adam Sandler attends the Photocall for Netflix's "Spaceman" at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on February 26, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic) -
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US singer Miley Cyrus attends the 97th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 2, 2025. (Photo by Angeka Weiss/AFP via Getty Images) -
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