The awards season race is officially heating up as Variety releases its latest round of 2027 Oscar predictions, highlighting early festival standouts, major studio contenders, and key milestones on the road to the 99th Academy Awards.
Curated by Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis, the weekly predictions provide a snapshot of the current competitive landscape. Early fall festivals—including the New York Film Festival—have injected momentum into several titles. Luca Guadagnino’s intense dramedy “Artificial,” picked up by Neon, emerged as a major player generating early buzz across multiple categories, including a potential best actor spoiler spot for Andrew Garfield. Meanwhile, Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s “You Can See Everything” sparked strong reactions, igniting early conversations over whether a nonfiction film could break through into the best picture race.
On the studio and technical fronts, projected nomination leaders are already taking shape. Universal Pictures leads the studio pack with 17 projected nominations, followed by A24 and Netflix with 14 each, and Warner Bros. with 11. Among individual features, Christopher Nolan’s “Universal” epic “The Odyssey” leads current forecasts with 16 projected nominations, ahead of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Three” at 11 and Netflix’s “La Bola Negra” at 10.
The 99th Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, March 14, 2027. Hosted by Conan O’Brien, the ceremony will broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on ABC, reaching audiences in over 200 territories worldwide.