'Sinners' makes history with record-breaking 16 Oscar nominations

Sinners, the ambitious period film that combines horror, action and music, made history Thursday by earning 16 nominations for the Oscars, an all-time high since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards were created.

The film leads the race heading into the 98th Oscars, to be held March 15 in Hollywood, surpassing the previous mark of 14 nominations shared by Wicked, Titanic and La La La Land.

In second place was Paul Thomas Anderson's thriller, One Battle After Another, with 13 nominations, while Frankenstein by Mexico's Guillermo del Toro, Marty Supremo and Norway's Sentimental Value earned nine mentions each.

Warner Bros. dominance

The day was especially successful for Warner Bros, which racked up 30 nominations thanks to Sinners and One Battle After Another, the two most recognized productions of the year by the Academy.

Set in the segregated South of the United States during the 1930s, Sinners competed for best picture and earned its director, Ryan Coogler (Black Panther), a nomination for best director.

The production also stood out in the acting categories: Michael B. Jordan, who plays twin brothers, was nominated for best actor; Delroy Lindo for best supporting actor; and Wunmi Mosaku for best supporting actress.

The film also shined in technical and creative categories such as screenplay, costumes, makeup and music, including the nomination of "I Lied To You" for best original song.

Strong international presence

The broadening of the Academy's voting body was again reflected in the diversity of nominees. The Brazilian film The Secret Agent, by Kleber Mendonça, earned four nominations, including best film, following in the wake of the international recognition achieved by Brazil in recent editions.

It will also compete in the best international film category, where it will face Norway's Sentimental Value, which also earned nominations in acting categories, and Spain's Sirat: Trance in the Desert, with two mentions.

Brazilian Wagner Moura was nominated for best actor, in a hotly contested category that includes Michael B. Jordan, Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme) and Leonardo DiCaprio, who is seeking his second Oscar for his role in One Battle After Another. In the latter, Benicio del Toro will compete for best supporting actor.

Surprises and new categories

Among the morning's surprises was the inclusion of F1, starring Brad Pitt, in the best picture category. The film totaled four nominations, including editing, sound and visual effects.

Although Guillermo del Toro was not nominated for best director, his Frankenstein film gave Jacob Elordi his first Oscar nomination as an actor, and allowed Netflix to reach 16 nominations in total.

This edition also marks the debut of the new best casting category, which features Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent and Sinners.

Nominations in the 24 categories were announced from Los Angeles in a presentation hosted by actors Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman. Final voting by Academy members will take place Feb. 26-March 5.