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Vampire thriller Sinners has rewritten Academy Awards history after securing an unprecedented 16 Oscar nominations, the highest total ever achieved by a single film.
The movie moves past the long standing record of 14 nominations, previously shared by classics such as All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land. It also leads this year's field ahead of political drama One Battle After Another, which received 13 nods.
Sinners stars Michael B Jordan in a dual role as twin brothers returning to their Mississippi hometown in the 1930s, where plans to open a juke joint spiral into violence when vampires descend on the community. The film blends horror, music and social commentary, a mix that has resonated strongly with voters.
Jordan is nominated for best actor, while British performers Wunmi Mosaku and Delroy Lindo are recognised in the supporting categories. Director Ryan Coogler also earned nominations for directing, producing and writing, underlining the film's dominance across the major races.
Other high profile contenders this year include Timothee Chalamet, nominated for best actor for Marty Supreme, and Jessie Buckley, who is widely tipped to win best actress for her role in literary drama Hamnet. However, her co star Paul Mescal was notably absent from the nominations, while musical sequel Wicked For Good failed to secure any recognition.
Industry analysts say Sinners has benefited from strong support across technical categories, including cinematography, costume design, editing, sound and visual effects. The addition of a new casting award this year also contributed to its record breaking total.
BBC Radio 1 film critic Ali Plumb said the success was remarkable given the Academy's traditional reluctance to reward horror films. He described Sinners as a project that "uses genre as a doorway into something far richer".
The ceremony will take place in Hollywood on 15 March, where the film will attempt to convert its nominations into wins. History suggests that dominance on nomination morning does not always guarantee victory on the night.
