How Many Academy Awards Nominations Will Black Panther Get?

The Academy Award nominations are revealed tomorrow and given all the love Black Panther has received since its release last February — including critical acclaim and many award nominations already this season — it’s expected that the Marvel Cinematic Universe film will be getting some Oscar attention, too.

The question is how many nominations will Black Panther get? To come up with a prediction, we’ve taken a look at what some film experts are saying. By looking at what The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg, Variety’s Kristopher Tapley, USA Today’s Brian Truitt, and Gold Derby’s Paul Sheehan are expecting we think we might have a pretty good idea of just what categories Black Panther will get an Oscar nomination in — and which big ones they could be snubbed in.

Read on for the breakdown of the Academy Award nominations we think Black Panther could nab tomorrow morning and be sure to let us know which awards you think the film will be nominated for tomorrow in the comments below.

Best Picture

The one category the experts are in unanimous agreement on is that of Best Picture. 

It seems very likely that the film will push past the general awards bias against superhero movies to take a Best Picture nomination — something that not even The Dark Knight could manage. Should the predictions be correct, though, the film will have some major competition. Nearly every expert noted that A Star is Born is among the favorites to actually win.

Best Director

Of the four experts, only one — USA Today — felt like Ryan Coogler could earn a Best Director nomination tomorrow.  However, working in Coogler’s favor is the fact that Best Picture and Best Director nominations often go hand-in-hand at the Oscars — though if Ben Affleck’s loss for Argo is any indication, it doesn’t always mean one or even both will win.

Best Supporting Actor

There’s really only one acting performance that appears to have any chance at an Academy Award nomination and that’s Michael B. Jordan for Best Supporting Actor.  USA Today seems to think that Jordan could have a fighting chance for the nomination, while Feinberg thinks that the actor’s performance as Erik Killmonger could be a surprise nomination.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Two of the four experts think that Black Panther‘s Joe Robert Cole and Ryan Coogler will get a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for their work taking the characters of the Marvel Universe and Wakanda from comic book to silver screen.

Best Cinematography

Only one expert — The Hollywood Reporter — put Black Panther into consideration for Best Cinematography. However, rather than listing it as a longshot it was noted as an alternate contender and the film has been nominated for the category in a number of other awards, including Critics’ Choice so we think it has a shot.

Best Costume Design

Another seemingly sure bet is Ruth E. Carter getting a nomination for Best Costume Design. Most of the experts were in agreement that Black Panther is a major contendor in the category and for good reason. The film took home the Critics’ Choice Award just a few weeks ago.

Best Film Editing

While it’s not considered a favorite for a nomination, much less a win, The Hollywood Reporter still thinks that Black Panther could be an alternate pick for Best Film Editing from a list that includes A Star Is Born, First Man, Bohemian Rhapsody, Roma, and Vice.

Best Original Score

Music is one of the general areas where Black Panther is expected to take home several nominations (you can read the others in slides beyond here) including Best Original Score thanks to Ludwig Goransson’s work building the aural landscape of Wakanda.

Best Original Song

There is almost no doubt here. Black Panther is almost guaranteed to get a nomination for Best Original Song for “All the Stars” written by Kendrick Lamar, Al Shux, Sounwave, SZA, and Anthony Tiffith as performed by Lamar and SZA.

Best Production Design

Black Panther‘s Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart have already taken home the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Art Direction and is expected to take home a nomination in the Oscars’ version of that category — Best Production Design.

Best Sound Editing

Best Sound Editing is another category where Black Panther is fairly widely expected to get a nomination, though it isn’t expected to win as it is competing against some of the more dramatic — sound-wise — films also expected to get a nomination, such as First Man.

Best Sound Mixing

Despite having a more muted sound as compared to some of the more music-heavy contenders, both The Hollywood Reporter and Gold Derby think Black Panther could take a nomination for Best Sound Mixing, though it is considered a long shot to win.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Only one expert, Gold Derby, predicts this category, but Black Panther very well may find itself nominated in the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category where it will likely face competition with Vice, Bohemian Rhapsody, and The Favourite.

Best Visual Effects

A few of the experts think that Black Panther has a shot at this nomination, but if the film does get a nod in this category it may find itself competing with another Marvel Cinematic Universe film to take home the award. Avengers: Infinity War is also a film strongly considered for nomination in this category.