Which Oscar Hopefuls Got Presents and Which Got Coal for Christmas?

THR’s awards expert weighs in after the holidays provided plenty of shake-ups in the race

Avatar: The Way of Water James Cameron’s sequel to his 2009 epic blockbuster rode an A CinemaScore to top the box office over the fourday Christmas weekend, raking in $95.5 million to bring its haul domestically to $293.2 million and internationally to $955.1 million.

BEST PICTURE

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

On Dec. 23, one month after its chart-topping one-week theatrical release, Rian Johnson’s star-studded sequel debuted on Netflix and within three days was the streamer’s mostwatched film around the world, with 35 million household views.

Babylon

Paramount may soon be shifting even more of its attention to its summer blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. Its $80 million fall hopeful from Oscar winner Damien Chazelle just tanked with the sixth-worst wide-opening weekend ever ($3.5 million) and a C+ CinemaScore.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Good Night Oppy

The Academy’s doc branch, which didn’t nominate hits like Life Itself, Blackfish, Won’t You Be My Neighbor and Apollo 11, didn’t even shortlist two of the year’s buzziest titles, this one about a real WALL-E, and another, Sr., about Robert Downey Jr.’s dad.

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

All Quiet on the Western Front

This German antiwar film is the only international feature submission to show up on that shortlist plus others. It landed on five (makeup/hairstyling, original score, sound and VFX), equaled only by Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Nobody Like U” (Turning Red)

Just months after the siblings won this award for “No Time to Die,” Billie Eilish and Finneas’

Pixar tune was the most glaring omission from a shortlist that included Rihanna, Lady Gaga, The Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Drake and Selena Gomez.