What are the odds that UFC fighter Conor McGregor might get nominated for an Oscar? (Kremlin.ru, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
There’s still quite a bit of time before the 97th edition of the Academy Awards. The Oscars will be doled out to the best in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t already experts who are forecasting which pictures, directors, actors and actresses will be carting off statues from the stage on Oscar night. And it just might be worth your while doing some investigating on these subjects. Why? Well, because it can prove to be a profitable excursion.
There are online sports betting websites that are offering odds on who will be the winners of the next Oscars. Play your cards right, make the correct selections and you just might find yourself with a little more cash at hand on the day after the Academy Awards.
Come on. You know you’ve gone to Oscars parties and filled out one of those sheets asking you to predict the winners. Why not up the ante and go for some gold on Oscar night? And we’re here to help you make it happen. We’re going to break down the contenders in each of the major Oscars categories and decipher the projected winners of the 2025 Academy Awards.
Remember, it’s still early. The official Oscar nominations have yet to be announced. And with the advent of the fall film festival season, this is when the real Oscar push begins from the studios.
Best Director Oscar Picks
The early returns on this category are indicating that this could be a very close race to determine who gets the Academy Award for best director. Current betting lines are showing Dennis Villeneuve, director of Dune II, as the -120 odds-on favorite to walk away with the Oscar.
However, there’s also a lot of love being shown by the oddsmakers for two other directors in this betting market. Yorgos Lanthimos (Kinds Of Kindness) is at +150. Next in line at +400 is Steve McQueen (Blitz).
Best Supporting Actress Oscar Picks
Determining whether an actress fits into the best actress or best supporting actress category is a delicate balancing act. Making the wrong decision upon which Oscar to pursue can often be the difference between going home a legend in the industry, or empty handed.
There’s a couple of well-known names among this season’s early contenders. Veteran character actress Toni Collette is at +1200 for her work in Juror No. 2. Jennifer Grey is at a betting line of +400 for A Real Pain, which is what the character she portrayed thought her brother was many decades ago in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
However, neither of these veteran actresses are being viewed as the one to beat for the best supporting actress Oscar. The current favorite at odds of +110 for her performance in the Netflix film The Piano Lesson is Danielle Deadwyler.
Best Supporting Actor Oscar Picks
Samuel L. Jackson won an honorary Oscar in 2021 (pinguino k, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
It isn’t often that a recipient of an honorary Oscar later comes back to contend for one of the annual awards. But then again, Samuel L. Jackson isn’t the kind of actor who follows any sort of traditional blueprint. A nominee for an Academy Award as best supporting actor for his performance in the 1995 Quentin Taratino flick Pulp Fiction, Jackson didn’t win that Oscar. He did get an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 2021.
This year, though, the early thinking is that he’ll be the one to beat in the showdown for best supporting actor. Jackson is the current +190 favorite in this category for his performance in The Piano Lesson.
There’s plenty of major players in this category and that could lead to some dramatic competition for the best supporting actor. Other contenders include Kieran Cukin (Blitz) at +300, Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) and Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing), both at +400 and Stanley Tucci (+450) for Conclave.
There’s also Willem Dafoe (Kinds Of Kindness) at +1800, and a real longshot, former UFC World Champion Conor McGregor (Road House) at +10000.
Best Actress Oscar Picks
The list of heavy hitters that figure to be battling it out for the best actress Oscar is truly star-studded. Two-time Academy Award winner Jessica Lange (Long Day’s Journey Into Night) is the +200 favorite. Just behind at +300 is another past Oscar winner, Angelie Jolie (Maria).
At +400 Emma Stone (Kinds Of Kindness) is also a two-time Oscar winner. A four-time Oscar nominee, Saorise Ronan is listed for two separate roles. She’s at +450 for her work in The Outrun and +375 for Blitz.
Best Actor Oscar Picks
A number of past nominees are figuring to again be in contention for this year’s best actor Oscar. Jesse Eisenberg, previously nominated for The Social Network, is at +300 for A Real Pain. Two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) is also at +300.
James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, is being given a betting line of +1100 for his work in Queer. However, the favorite to win is Colman Domingo at +110. Nominated for best actor last year for Rustin, it’s his work this year in Sing Sing that has Domingo favored.
Best Picture Oscar Picks
This is the Oscar that finishes out the evening of award winners. The best picture Academy Award is always hotly debated. This year, it seems that sequels are the order of the day.
Dune II is currently listed as the current +160 betting choice to win the best picture Oscar. You can get +2500 odds on Gladiator 2 being the winner.
Other movies getting odds shorter than +1000 include Sing Sing (+400), Anora (+700) and Blitz (+800).
