[Photo courtesy of Getty Images]

By Kourtney Gierke, Contributor

The Academy Award nominations released Thursday at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater, and were presented by actress Rachel Sennott and Saturday Night Live cast member Bowen Yang.

Like the Golden Globe Awards, Emelia Perez is sweeping the Oscars this awards season. With 13 nominations including Best Picture, Best Cinematography and Best Score, Emelia Perez has the most nominations this year. Other nominations for Best Picture include the highly anticipated Dune: Part Two, historical drama The Brutalist and box office success Anora. Likewise, the most talked about movies of the year, such as The Substance and Wicked, are earning their flowers with their Best Picture nominations.

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Music was a key part of the best movies this year. From musical biopics like A Complete Unknown to the multiple movie musicals, it’s no surprise music themes dominated the Oscars. Categories from Best Score to Best Original Song will be a close call, with nominations ranging from Emelia Perez to Elton John.

Both Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively. For his performance in A Complete Unknown, Timothée Chalamet is nominated for Best Actor. This will be his second nomination after the 2018 Oscars for Call Me By Your Name. Also up for nomination includes Adrian Brody for his lead role in The Brutalist. Although she’s been in the industry for decades, Demi Moore is receiving her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress as Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance.

The Oscars is historically the most anticipated award show of the year, and 2025 is no different. From the multitude of great films that graced our screens the past year, it will be exciting to see which films get their highly deserved awards.