A round up of the best Oscar-snubbed films of 2026

Plenty of groundbreaking films never won an Oscar

The Academy Awards may look to celebrate the best films in a given year, but they sometimes miss the mark. This list breaks down 15 important movies that didn't win a single Oscar, including early classics like "Frankenstein" and "Double Indemnity," New Hollywood landmarks like "Easy Rider" and "Taxi Driver," and pop culture phenoms like "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Reservoir Dogs."

Remember iconic Oscar controversies, like the 2022 slap

Variety rounded up 21 different Oscar-winning scandals, starting with Will Smith's physical assault on Chris Rock and moving through best picture upsets and best supporting actress rumors—though nowadays, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t think Marisa Tomei gave an award-worthy performance in "My Cousin Vinny."

Films must meet a long list of requirements to be considered for an Oscar

Each nominating category has slightly different rules. For best picture, the film must have run for at least a week in one of six specified US cities; for best original screenplay, the nominee must provide a copy of their shooting script.

New Oscar categories continue to be added

We all know about best picture and best actress, but the Academy Awards also honor people in lesser-known Hollywood roles, such as sound mixers and production designers. In 2026, for the first time in more than two decades, a new category will be added: an Oscar for achievement in casting.

The 2022 best picture winner, 'CODA,' was an Apple+ original

Streaming has changed more than how we watch movies—it's changed the way we recognize them during awards season. When movie theaters shut down during the early days of the pandemic, studios had no choice but to release their films on streaming. Once the shift occurred, there was no going back.

The youngest Oscar winners in history

The awards often go to veterans who have paid their dues, but sometimes the bright young stars manage to break through. That was the case with these 14 Oscar winners (like Adrien Brody, Prince, and Markéta Irglová) who earned accolades despite their relatively green status.

Every best picture Oscar award winner since 1929

See the title and short clips from every film that's taken the top prize at the Oscars since its inception in 1929 in this 15-minute video.

Popular films not yet added to Congress' film registry

The Library of Congress' National Film Registry's annual announcement of 25 new inductee films always makes a splash in the news. These films are considered significant enough to be preserved by the US' central library. But over the years, the library has maintained a separate list of films you might think would be added but haven't received the necessary votes yet. Check out the list of "not yets" here.

An archive of Korean film

If Bong Joon Ho’s 2020 Oscar-winning film Parasite whet your appetite for Korean cinema, check out the Korean Film Archive’s YouTube channel, which has more than a hundred full-length classic films available to stream for free, some dating back as far as 1930. Many of the titles are remastered and feature subtitles in multiple languages. Start with “Mandala” (1981) and “Aimless Bullet” (1961).

The 31 best science fiction films ever

This list refreshingly starts off with the best first—1968's "2001: A Space Odyssey," Stanley Kubrick's cerebral, futuristic icon. Coming in at 31st is Disney's "Wall-E."

A deep dive into A24's top ten films

The film studio has released over 100 films since it's founding in 2012, so where should a newcomer begin? This extended video breaks down ten of the best of the studio's productions, showcasing its quality and variety. (Note: The video contains...

Watch the trailer for 'Goodnight Oppy'

The 2022 documentary, narrated by Angela Bassett, tells the story of NASA's Opportunity rover, which launched in 2003 to explore Mars. The film was named Best Documentary Feature at the 7th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards.

Grammy snubs and losses have generated controversy over the years

While there’s always some friction when major award nominees are announced from those who believe a favorite has been snubbed, the Grammys have attracted quite a bit of pushback in the last few years. Much of the controversy centers around the show’s purported unequal treatment of artists of color, particularly Black artists.

Movies that killed these 17 actors' careers

Hollywood's history is checkered with flubs and successes, and many actors have suffered from portraying specific roles, even if the films were successful. This list goes into 17 acting careers that took a nosedive after a specific role, including Elizabeth Berkley in "Showgirls" and Sofia Coppola in "The Godfather: Part III." Read the rest here.

Disney movies pulled in over $5B in 2024

2024 was a banner year for Disney, with the global film studio finding success with "Inside Out 2," "Moana 2," and "Deadpool & Wolverine." While Disney has faced criticism for its reliance on sequels, reboots, and offshoots, the 2024 numbers suggest the public is still eager for its content.

‘The Substance’ is a great food film

"The Substance" has received numerous accolades, including five Academy Award nominations, for its satirical horror story about celebrity. This writer argues that it's also one of the best food movies in recent memory.

The 'Movie Brats’ ushered in a new era of Hollywood

"The Movie Brats" is a name used to describe a generation of directors who blended classic cinema with the rebellious, crowd-pleasing spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. The figures most often associated with the tag are Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Brian De Palma.

Liza Minnelli is currently the only REGOT winner

The star is one of the few to have obtained all of the most prestigious entertainment awards. However, as of 2026, she is also the only EGOT actor to have also won a Razzie for Worst Actress after starring in the films "Arthur 2: On the Rocks" and "Rent-A-Cop."

Most of Netflix's subscribers are outside the US

Accordingly, each year, Netflix releases an expansive slate of international shows and movies to subscribers worldwide, including hits that crossed over to the US, like "Squid Game."

In 2026, Timothée Chalamet suggested 'no one cares' about opera

In a February 2026 conversation with fellow actor Matthew McConaughey, Chalamet noted that he wanted movie theaters to remain vital and commercially relevant, unlike other areas of the arts that he felt had become charity cases, specifically mentioning ballet and opera. The comment sparked a backlash from other celebrities and artists working in ballet and opera, who said he was out of touch.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

See hilarious photos from the Comedy Wildlife Awards 2025

Napping frog princes, annoying lion husbands, and kung fu sea eagles are just some of the charming shots you'll find among the finalists for the award.

Several countries backed out of Eurovision 2026 to protest Israel's inclusion

The public broadcasting organizations of Iceland, Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, and the Netherlands said they will not compete in the 2026 Eurovision in Austria to protest Israel's inclusion, citing the humanitarian crisis from the Israel-Hamas war.

A catalog of every film with a post-credits scene

A crowd-maintained database spanning film, TV, and games, the site flags whether any given title has a "stinger"—hidden sequel teasers, outtakes, or jokes. "Stinger" is the fan shorthand; you'll also hear "credit cookie" or "post-credits scene."

Watch Billie Holiday's only feature film appearance in 'New Orleans'

The 1947 film wasn't known for its sophisticated plot, which mainly centers on a white opera singer who learns about the beauty of blues and jazz. It's more notable for featuring some of those genre's biggest stars, including Holiday, who played a singing maid and the love interest of Louis Armstrong. You can see her first scene around the 11-minute mark.

The distributor behind 'Rocky Horror' pulled the film from its scheduled national release, believing it would be a failure, though it eventually amassed a dedicated fanbase through midnight showings, a trend that continues over 50 years later.

Dolly Parton declined her nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

The country icon was nominated in 2022 but bowed out, saying, “I don’t feel I have earned that right” and that she didn’t want votes split because of her inclusion on the ballot, though the Hall of Fame inducted her anyway. Interestingly, she also mentioned that the nomination motivated her to release a rock ‘n’ roll record in the future. She released “Rockstar,” a double-album featuring several duets and covers of popular rock songs, in 2023.

See 33 images that became central to huge scandals, including a young Charles and Camilla, Michael Jackson's baby on a hotel balcony, and Hugh Grant's mugshot.

In 1945, Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí and legendary animator Walt Disney began collaborating on a short film that was not completed until 2003, years after both men had died.

See these 16 pieces of art evoking phobias of snakes, flying, spiders, and more. 

Apollo astronauts left items in the moon's 'toss zone,' including golf balls, family photos, and bags of human waste, to make room for lunar rocks.

Comedy legend Catherine O'Hara, star of 'Schitt's Creek' and 'Home Alone,' quit 'Saturday Night Live' after just one week to return to her old job.

In preparation for this weekend's Eurovision finale, which is something like the World Cup of pop music, here's a young Céline Dion performing (for Switzerland?) at the 1988 competition.

Explore a list of the 100 best novels of all time, compiled by some of the world's best living writers, including Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, and Jennifer Egan.

In 2009, the nation was gripped by the story of a missing young boy who was believed to be floating over Colorado in a homemade balloon, until it was revealed that he was at home the whole time.

Hotels in Cannes, the glamorous city on the French Riviera, hire hawks to ward off seagulls during the city's famous film festival.

The 2026 Ebola outbreak is hampered by a lack of vaccine against the species of the virus, heightening the need for rapid tests to aid in disease control.

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

One of the most famous portraits ever taken is 'Afghan Girl' (1984) by Steve McCurry, yet the subject Sharbat Gula went much of her life without being identified or benefitting from the image's success.

Quincy Jones' 'Big Band Bossa Nova' helped introduce bossa nova—a jazz-influenced Brazilian genre—to the US

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

Famed poet TS Eliot rejected the manuscript for George Orwell's political fable 'Animal Farm,' writing that its criticism of authoritarianism was not 'the right point of view.'

In 2026, Finland was named the world's happiest country for the ninth consecutive year based on its wealth, social safety network, and high life expectancy, among other factors.

Exploring the Larry Bird punch that almost changed March Madness

'Silent' fireworks have gained more interest in recent years as a quieter celebratory option.

In 2018, 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau was killed by tribesmen after attempting to reach and evangelize on India's isolated North Sentinel Island

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

See a ranking of the best (and worst) Federal Reserve Chairs since 1914 out of the 16 men and women who have held the office since.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

Visualize the path of every solar eclipse from 1900 to 2099 and see what each looks like when observed from different locations on Earth.