Believe it or not, half the year is already gone. Apart from the obvious mega blockbusters — Obsession, Backrooms, and Project Hail Mary, which are surely expected to earn one or more nods at next year’s Academy Awards — some unexpected award contenders have popped up throughout 2026.
We highlight six surprising and unexpected award contenders from this calendar year.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Directed by Nia DaCosta, The Bone Temple didn’t have my hopes up high, as I wasn’t impressed by its predecessor, 2025’s 28 Years Later.
The trailer definitely intrigued me, but little did I know that Ralph Fiennes’ performance would take this movie through the roof. An excellent subplot and the bonding with the infected alpha zombie (Chi Lewis-Parry) is worthy of remembering during the awards season. The Bone Temple features striking cinematography, evocative framing, and atmospheric lighting in a post-apocalyptic world, blended well with emotionally resonant character work.
Some of the categories where The Bone Temple could surprisingly appear are Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, and, of course, Best Cinematography. Many creature features and Gothic horror films tend to win recognition in these categories, but The Bone Temple remains an unexpected entry.
Horror is proving it belongs in the Oscar conversation!
Michael
I have no words for this masterpiece! For my money, Jaafar Jackson straightaway becomes my pick for Best Actor. He absolutely nails his debut feature, especially for someone like me who rarely watches musical biopics. If his performance could move a viewer as detached from the genre as I am, it has the power to resonate with just about anyone.
I don’t understand such a low critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score certainly justifies the film’s brilliance. From my perspective, Michael goes beyond a mere biography; the film transforms a well-known figure into a deep human portrait we have not known before. The emotional weight it carries makes it a serious contender in awards season. If Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), Ray (2004), and Amadeus (1984) can do it, why not Michael?
For a film that didn’t get praise from the critics but loads of love from the general audience, though, it might be relatively unexpected to see Michael in serious awards conversation. Alongside Best Actor, other categories where the movie could shine are Best Sound for beautifully performed concert sequences and music mixing, Best Costume Designs for iconic imitations of some of the real-life Michael Jackson’s outfits, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling for recreating different eras of Jackson on Jaafar’s face.
Is God Is
The feature debut coming from Aleshea Harris is a beauty! The Southern Gothic revenge thriller is unapologetically fierce, fiery, and ferocious, and I love everything about it. The powerful depiction of Black women in cinema is explosively assertive, backed by emotionally charged performances balanced with heavy themes of Black women’s violence.
Is God Is could qualify for Best Adapted Screenplay as it is adapted from a critically acclaimed stage play of the same name. The ambitious vision and impactful performances, just like in 12 Years a Slave (2013), Moonlight (2016), and Green Book (2018), certainly make it a strong attention-getter during the awards season.
Kara Young’s strong performance could place her in the Best Actress category as well, alongside other dark-horse possibilities in Best Supporting Actor for Sterling K. Brown, Best Cinematography for Alexander Dynan, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Undertone (2025)
It’s time for Hollywood to move on from its recent obsession with Curry Barker and Kane Parsons, because I found Undertone, Ian Tuason’s audio-driven horror pic set in one room, extremely refreshing. The trailer revealed the film’s humdrum existence, which could hardly have been managed in light of a low audience and a mediocre critics’ score.
However, this adds to Tuason’s unexpected success, as he managed to secure a directing gig soon after Undertone for the upcoming Paranormal Activity 8. Undertone gives the director the edge of possibly beating out Oscar frontrunners in the Best Sound category for the terror conveyed through recordings. Best Film Editing could be in play, too, or Best Original Screenplay, although that usually requires much higher critical acclaim than what Undertone currently possesses.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die (2025)
I’m going to throw my dart with my eyes closed with this one, since sci-fi comedies rarely become Oscar players. With a pretty impressive Rotten Tomatoes score, both critics and audience-wise, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is an original high-concept story that might gain traction in categories like Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
The story is entirely bonkers at times, but the Academy is usually in love with films that feature respected performers with strong industry reputations. Sam Rockwell, Michael Peña, and Zazie Beetz fall in that same circle. The Academy tends to prefer movies that critics respond to positively.
Films like Get Out (2017), The Substance (2024), and Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) have previously proved that unconventional stories are now welcomed by the Academy. Realistically, the film has a high potential to gain an unanticipated nomination in one of the above-mentioned categories for next year’s Oscars.
The Rip
Let me explain before you curse me for adding this here. The Rip has seriously tough ingredients to make it onto awards watch lists. But Crime thrillers have occasionally been thumb-pinned on Oscar ballots before, such as The Departed (2006), and heavy-hitting cast members like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon bring the film closer to the awards conversation.
While crime thrillers do not get much love from the Academy, The Rip could get lucky and earn nominations in categories like Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Supporting Actor for Steven Yeun, and Best Original Screenplay.
The biggest challenge for the film, though, is that the Academy’s attention is usually reserved for thrillers that have achieved near-universal critical acclaim. The Rip could still get a fortunate push if late-season momentum tips it into the conversation.
Article Courtesy of Madiha Ali with her unofficial Academy whisperer, Amritpal Rai
Feature Image Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios | Still from ‘Project Hail Mary’