By Lily Magurno | February 12, 2025
Photo Credit: Pixabay
The nominations for the 2025 Oscar Awards were released on Thursday, Jan. 23. Honoring the best movies of 2024, popular films such as “Wicked,” “Dune: Part Two,” “The Substance,” “Emilia Pérez” and “Anora” walked away with several nominations.
“Wicked” Scores 10 Nominations
This year’s smash hit, without a doubt, was Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked”, a film adaptation of the Tony winning Broadway musical. It scored an 88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with a 95 percent audience score and grossed $717.4 million world wide. Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, was nominated for Best Actress while Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Other nominated categories include Best Original Score, Best Production Design, and Best Picture.
“Emilia Pérez” and its Awkward Musicality
Jacques Audiard’s musical crime comedy “Emilia Pérez” is a story about a cartel boss’ journey of transitioning into womanhood with the help of her lawyer. The movie’s most popular song, “La vaginoplastia,” shows the lawyer in Bangkok asking a doctor about the different types of gender-affirming surgeries. What has been throwing viewers off is how the songs in the film are produced and presented. Because of the Oscar’s record of not acknowledging musicals, it was surprising to many that this film received 13 nominations, the most out of all movies nominated for best picture.
Demi Moore’s First Oscar Appearance
In the shocking psychological horror film “The Substance,” Demi Moore plays an aging pop star who takes a mysterious substance to create a better, younger version of herself. The story goes haywire when the balance between the pop star and the new version is disrupted. Moore won a Golden Globe for her role, stating in her speech “I’ve been doing this a long time - like over 45 years - and this is the first time I’ve ever won anything as an actor.” She is predicated as a front runner in her nominated category, Best Actress, because of her Golden Globes win.
“Anora” Scores Acting and Directing Nominations
Sean Baker’s “Anora,” the story of a stripper from Brooklyn who marries a the son of a Russian oligarch so he can stay in the United States, received nominations for Mikey Madison’s portrayal as Anora, Yura Borsivo’s portrayal as Ivan “Vanya” Zakharov and directing for Sean Baker.
“Inside Out 2” and “The Wild Robot” Compete for Best Animated Feature Film
“Inside Out 2” and “The Wild Robot” were the highest grossing animated films of the year. The high anticipation of “Inside Out 2” made it the highest grossing film of 2024, while the touching story line of a robot, voiced by Oscar-winner Lupita Nyongo, learning to feel emotion in “The Wild Robot,” made it a box office hit. The two films are the set front runners of the category, though many have “The Wild Robot” as the predicted winner.
This year’s Oscars is set to make history with a wide range of film genres honored and many first time nominees. The Oscars are set to air live on March 2, 2025, from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, hosted by Conan O’Brien.