Oscar Predictions 2027: Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore and Proof the Movies Are Back
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- Dune: Part Three leads Variety's 2027 Oscar predictions with 12 projected nominations and is the predicted Best Picture winner, though the Warner Bros. finale won't surface at any festival ahead of its December release against 'Avengers: Doomsday.'
- Warner Bros. tops the studio projection list with 17 nominations, ahead of Netflix (13), Neon (10), and Searchlight Pictures and A24 (9 each), driven by 'Dune: Part Three' and Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey.'
- Julianne Moore is Variety's predicted Best Actress winner for Jesse Eisenberg's 'The Debut' (A24), which an industry insider called 'Moore's best performance of her career' and 'his best film yet.'
- Tom Cruise is positioned for a Best Actor campaign via Alejandro G. Iñárritu's 'Digger,' with a career retrospective trailer already teasing the performance for the Warner Bros. film.
- Martin McDonagh's 'Wild Horse Nine' earns 9 projected nominations for Searchlight Pictures, with John Malkovich predicted to win Best Actor after McDonagh went home empty-handed from 'Banshees of Inisherin.'
- Cannes standouts 'Fjord' (Palme d'Or winner Cristian Mungiu), 'Fatherland' (Pawel Pawlikowski), and 'La Bola Negra' (Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo) are being carried forward by Neon, Mubi, and Netflix for further festival stops.
- The 99th Academy Awards will air live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 14, 2027, hosted by Conan O'Brien, with the Governors Awards honoring Glenn Close and Ridley Scott on Nov. 15.
Why it matters: Warner Bros. leads Variety's projected studio count at 17 nominations, driven by 'Dune: Part Three' (12 noms) and 'The Odyssey,' while Searchlight and A24 mobilize behind acting contenders John Malkovich and Julianne Moore. With the ceremony locked for March 14, 2027, the early frontrunner status gives studios a campaign runway through Venice, Telluride, and the December theatrical window.
