Frances McDormand stars in writer-director-editor-co-producer Chloé Zhao’s contemporary western drama, ‘
Credit: Joshua Nomadland.’
Credit: Joshua Richardson/Searchlight Pictures

According to the combined odds of Gold Derby users, the five expected to receive a Best Actress nomination at this year’s Oscars are currently Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”), Viola.

1. The biggest Academy Awards category of the year is also the one most sportsbooks are offering for Oscar betting.Nine different New Jersey sportsbooks have odds up on the Oscar for Best Picture. It is an interesting race, too, more wide open than most. The 2019 race does have a frontrunner but does not have a slam dunk.
2. Nomadland, the Oscar odds betting favorite at +225, will be released next month and stars Frances McDormand, who won the Best Actress award in 2018 for her leading role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Triumphantly overcoming adversity during the most serious times of peril is a major theme that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has always celebrated since it formed, and began honoring the best in cinema with their Oscar trophies, since it launched in 1927. This past year has undoubtedly proven that the Beverly Hills-based movie organization will not only celebrate characters who conquer their biggest challenges on screen, but also the filmmakers who have determinedly fought to keep their productions in development since the outbreak of COVID-19 last year.

While the film industry has been forced to contend with unprecedented challenges since America began its national quarantine last March, which forced movies to stop production and theaters to close for several months, Hollywood has been slowly but surely figuring out how to revitalize itself since the summer. Under strict protocols, movies have been able to resume filming, and theaters have begun to reopen. But the forced-but equally necessary-halt in production hasn’t stopped AMPAS from proceeding with its planned 93rd edition of the Academy Awards later this year.

This year’s Oscar presentation was originally scheduled to air on February 28, but was postponed by two months due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the movie industry. While in past years, AMPAS has required that all films that wish to be considered for nominations play in theaters for at least one week, the organization has modified its eligibility criteria this year; it’s allowing movies that initially intended to have a theatrical release but were instead ultimately released directly to digital platforms to also be considered.

The 93rd Academy Award show, which is now set to air live on Sunday, April 25 on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, will recognize excellence in cinematic achievement in films that were distributed between January 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021. There are several movies that critics are already buzzing about this Oscar season, which are leading the odds for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. Film fans can continuously track the 2021 Oscar odds here.

While the 2021 Academy Award ceremony is still three-and-a-half months away, the Best Picture category is already a tight competition. The highly critically acclaimed contemporary western, ‘Nomadland,’ which is scheduled to begin its theatrical release on February 19, is currently leading the odds to win the top honor at the Oscars. The drama’s odds at winning the Best Picture accolade at this year’s Academy Awards has drastically improved since it won the coveted Golden Lion award this past September, after it premiered at the Venice Film Festival.

‘Nomadland’ is being praised in large part for its production value from writer-direct-editor-co-producer, Chloé Zhao, who based the script on Jessica Bruder’s 2017 non-fiction book of the same name. The screen adaption is also being recognized for its standout and heartfelt lead performance from two-time Oscar winning actress, Frances McDormand, who portrays a woman who leaves her small town to travel around the American West.

Currently trailing far behind ‘Nomadland’ in the Best Picture category is the biopic, ‘Mank,’ which was directed by David Fincher, and is based on a screenplay by his late father, Jack Fincher. The movie chronicles screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz’s development of the script for the highly regarded drama, ‘Citizen Kane.’ Academy Award-winning actor, Gary Oldman portrays Mankiewicz in the drama, which has already received accolades from several film critics groups since it received a limited theatrical release on November 13, before beginning to stream on Netflix on December 4.

In addition to Best Picture, the Best Director category has also become a highly discussed topic. Chao has recently been pushed to the top of the odds of winning the Oscar statue, as the odds for early favorite Fincher shifted in the wrong direction from +113 to +265.

The Best Director race is garnering a lot of attention because if either filmmaker wins in the trophy, they’ll both make history. The ‘Nomadland’ helmer would be the second woman to ever win in the category, after Kathryn Bigelow previously took home the prize in the category in 2009 for her war thriller, ‘The Hurt Locker.’ The esteemed ‘Mank’ director was previously nominated in the same category in 2009 and 2011 for his previous dramas, ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ and ‘The Social Network.’

The Best Actor Academy Award race is also heating up, as Oscar-winning performer, Anthony Hopkins has emerged as the leading favorite for his turn as Anthony in the drama, ‘The Father.’ The actor, who was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category last year for his role as Pope Benedict XVI in ‘The Two Popes,’ has seen his odds remain steady at +150 in his latest movie. ‘The Father’ was co-written and directed by Florian Zeller, and is scheduled to be released on February 26.

Hopkins is receiving the most competition from the late Chadwick Boseman for his turn as Levee Green in ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.’ The ‘Black Panther’ star’s final film performance has garnered posthumous critical acclaim since the feature was unveiled in a limited theatrical release on November 25, before it began to stream on Netflix on December 18. Boseman’s odds for winning the Oscar for his last drama, which was directed by George C. Wolfe, written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson and based on the play of the same name by August Wilson, currently stand at +300.

In the Best Actress category for this year’s Oscar ceremony, Boseman’s ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ co-star, Viola Davis remains the favorite with average odds of +130. If the performer, who played the title character in the movie, wins the film industry’s top accolade for actresses, it will mark her second Academy Award win; she previously was honored in the Best Supporting Actress category in 2016 for the period drama, ‘Fences,’ which is also based on a play by Wilson.

Andra Day has also emerged as one of the favorites to win in the Best Actress category, with +500 odds for her portrayal of the title character in the upcoming biopic, ‘The United States vs Billie Holiday.’ The movie was directed by Lee Daniels and written by Suzan-Lori Parks, who based the script on Johann Hari’s 2015 book, ‘Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs.’ The Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter is garnering praise for her live action feature film acting performance debut in the drama. Hulu announced yesterday that it has acquired the U.S. rights to the biographical feature, which it will premiere as a Hulu original film on February 26.

With 2020 being a challenging year for the movie industry as a whole, AMPAS will undoubtedly not only celebrate characters who conquer their biggest challenges on screen this year, but also the filmmakers who have determinedly fought to keep their productions in development since the outbreak of COVID-19. While the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony has been pushed back two months to accommodate the unprecedented change in distribution for many films, several breakout directors, performers and overall movies have already become clear frontrunners; ‘Nomadland’ and its helmer, as well as Hopkins and Davis, seem the most likely to hear their names called as the winners on the Dolby Theatre stage during this spring’s Oscar ceremony.

The biggest Academy Awards category of the year is also the one most sportsbooks are offering for Oscar betting. Nine different New Jersey sportsbooks have odds up on the Oscar for Best Picture.

It is an interesting race, too, more wide open than most. The 2019 race does have a frontrunner but does not have a slam dunk. However, if Roma is the movie to beat, what is most unclear is which film is the movie to beat it. The major awards have gone to a range of films. Traditional indicators of what film will win point a number of different directions. Here is a look at what each of the eight nominees has going for and against it.

Current Best Picture odds

Roma

Written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón (of Y Tu Mamá También, Children of Men, Gravity), Roma is a semi-autobiographical take on the filmmaker’s upbringing in Mexico City. Set in 1970, the film follows the life of a middle-class family and their live-in housekeeper (played by first-time actress Yalitza Aparicio). The Netflix-produced film received universal praise from critics and film enthusiasts for Cuarón’s screenplay, direction and cinematography.
Roma received 10 nominations at the Academy Awards, including:

• Best Picture
• Best Foreign Language Film
• Best Director
• Best Actress
• Best Supporting Actress

The film tied with The Favourite as the most-nominated film. Additionally, it is tied with 2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon for the most Oscar nominations ever received by a non-English language film.

Cuarón’s deeply personal film is a lock for Best Foreign Language Film. As for Best Picture, foreign films don’t have much luck in this category. In fact, Roma is only the fifth movie to be nominated for both categories in the same year. The previous four — Z,Life Is Beautiful, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Amour — won Best Foreign Language Film but not Best Picture.

Roma has a lot of history working against it, but if anyone can beat the odds, it’s Cuarón. He became the first Latin American director to win the Academy Award for Best Director with Gravity in 2014. And with its primary competition, Peter Farrelly’sGreen Book, losing steam as the season comes to an end, Cuarón’s black-and-white foreign language film has suddenly emerged as the frontrunner in the category.

Key awards for Roma

• Directors Guild of America: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film
• Golden Globes: Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director
• National Board of Review: Top Ten Best Films of 2018

Green Book

In Peter Farrelly’s Green Book, Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises, Captain Fantastic) plays Tony “Lip” Vallelonga. He is an Italian-American bouncer tasked with driving African-American pianist Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali of Moonlight) through a concert tour in the Deep South.

The film received positive reviews from critics. Mortensen and Ali’s performances have been lauded as two of the best of the year. Green Book won the National Board of Review Award for Best Film of 2018 received numerous other accolades, including winning the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. It also earned a solid five nominations at the Academy Awards:

• Best Picture
• Best Actor
• Best Supporting Actor
• Best Original Screenplay
• Best Film Editing

There’s a lot of bad juju on Green Book, however. While Ali is a lock for Best Supporting Actor, Shirley’s relatives condemned the film for its historical inaccuracies. There’s also the issue of Mortensen using a racist slur during a promotional panel discussion. Plus, there is the resurfacing of some anti-Muslim tweets by co-writer Nick Vallelonga, which may turn off Oscar voters.

Unless Black Panther pulls out a surprise win, it seems like this category is Roma’s to lose, with Green Book unable to capture anything more than first runner-up in a game where you either win or go home empty-handed.

Key awards for Green Book

Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay
Producers Guild of America: Best Theatrical Motion Picture
Screen Actors Guild of America: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
National Board of Review: Best Film, Best Actor

The Favourite

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (of The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer), The Favourite is set in the early 18th century and explores the relationship between two cousins (Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz) vying to be court favorites of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman).

The Favourite, recognized for its sharp writing and direction, strong performances, and gorgeous production design, won the Grand Jury Prize at the 75th Venice Film Festival. It went on to win 10 British Independent Film Awards. It was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and two Best Supporting Actress nods, The Favourite ties with Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma as the most-nominated film of 2018.

The Favourite is a likely win for Best Original Screenplay, but Best Picture seems out of reach for the Greek filmmaker’s polarizing period piece.

Key awards for The Favourite

Golden Globes: Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Olivia Colman)

BlacKkKlansman

Co-written and directed by Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, Chi-Raq), BlacKkKlansman is the filmmaker’s strongest, most soulful narrative work since 2002’s 25th Hour. Based on actual events, the film follows the first African-American detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department as he sets out to infiltrate and expose the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan.

Praised for the strong performances of John David Washington and Adam Driver, as well as Lee’s writing and direction, BlacKkKlansman won the Grand Prix at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and received six nominations at the 91st Academy Awards, including:

• Best Picture
• Best Director
• Best Adapted Screenplay
• Best Supporting Actor
• Best Film Editing
• Best Original Score

As it stands, BlacKkKlansman is a frontrunner in the Best Adapted Screenplay category, but middle-of-the-pack as far as Best Picture contenders go. After decades of making influential films, the Academy may decide now is the time to recognize Spike Lee with a Best Director trophy, but that seems like the only other category in which BlacKkKlansman stands a chance.

Key awards for BlacKkKlansman

While BlacKkKlansman has been nominated for awards by the Golden Globes, the Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, and Screen Actors Guild, it has yet to score a major win.

A Star is Born

Co-written and directed by star Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born is the third remake of William A. Wellman’s 1937 film, which earned seven Academy Award nominations at the time. The 1954 adaptation, starring Judy Garland and James Mason, was nominated for six. And the 1976 version, starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, earned four. Between the three films, however, there are only two Oscars: Best Writing (Original Story) in 1938 and Best Original Song in 1977.

A Star is Born follows a hard-drinking blues musician (Cooper) who discovers and falls in love with a talented young singer-songwriter (Lady Gaga). The film was selected by the National Board of Review as one of the Top 10 Films of 2018 and earned five Golden Globe nominations and eight Oscar nods, including:

• Best Picture
• Best Actor
• Best Actress
• Best Supporting Actor
• Best Original Song

If history is any indication, Cooper’s adaptation will come up short in all the major categories, but it’s guaranteed to take home at least one Oscar – Best Song for “Shallow” written by Lady Gaga with Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, and Andrew Wyatt.

Key awards for A Star is Born

Vegas Odds For Oscars

Golden Globes: Best Original Song
National Board of Review: Top Ten Best Films of 2018, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor

Black Panther

Co-written and directed by Ryan Coogler (of Fruitvale Station, Creed), Black Panther is the 18th entry in Marvel’s shared cinematic universe and the first MCU movie to feature a black superhero as the title character. Upon its release, the film received widespread acclaim for its direction, visual effects, costume design, production design, and strong performances from the film’s stellar ensemble.

Black Panther became the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time with over $1.35 billion worldwide, breaking numerous box office records in the process. It’s easily the most popular film to be nominated for Best Picture this year. It’s also the first superhero film ever to receive such a nomination. In total, The film racked up seven nominations at the Academy Awards, three nominations at the Golden Globe Awards, and two wins at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Odds On Favorites For Oscars

If there’s a huge surprise in store at this year’s Oscar ceremony, it’s a Black Panther win for Best Picture. DraftKings and SugarHouse currently have Coogler’s superhero flick at +2500 if you’re looking for some action.

Key awards for Black Panther

Screen Actors Guild of America: Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
National Board of Review: Top Ten Best Films of 2018

Bohemian Rhapsody

Directed by Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-Men), Bohemian Rhapsodyfollows Freddie Mercury’s life from joining the band Queen in 1970 to their 1985 Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium. The film stars Rami Malek (USA Network’sMr. Robot) as Mercury with Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy and Joseph Mazzello in supporting roles.

Bohemian Rhapsody received five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Malek. The film won Best Motion Picture – Drama at the Golden Globes and was nominated for the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture. Malek also won the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor.

Like Green Book, Bohemian Rhapsody is a controversial pick for Best Picture for its historical inaccuracies surrounding not only the formation of the legendary rock band but Mercury’s relationships; glossing over facts to make a more dramatic narrative. And then there’s Singer, who has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by numerous men.

Best Actor Oscar Odds

Needless to say, the odds aren’t looking good for the Queen biopic. Malek will likely take home the Best Actor trophy, but it’s hard to imagine Singer’s film winning the big prize. DraftKings and SugarHouse currently have Bohemian Rhapsody at +2500.

Key awards for Bohemian Rhapsody

Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Actor – Drama
Screen Actors Guild: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Vice

Written and directed by Adam McKay (The Big Short, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), Vice follows Dick Cheney on his path to becoming the most powerful Vice President of the United States in history. The film features an incredible, transformative lead performance from Christian Bale, who gained 46 pounds to play Cheney, and an equally impressive ensemble featuring Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, and Tyler Perry.

Despite a lukewarm reception by critics, McKay’s film received numerous nominations, including eight at the Academy Awards, a leading six at the Golden Globe Awards (one win), and six at the 72nd British Academy Film Awards. Unfortunately for McKay and crew, Vice is currently at the bottom of the heap when it comes to Best Picture contenders. Resorts Casino sportsbook has it at a staggering +8000, making it the very definition of a longshot.

Key awards for Vice

Golden Globes: Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Christian Bale)