Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is the early Best Picture frontrunner for the 99th Academy Awards, according to Rotten Tomatoes’ first nomination predictions, published October 16. The ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, March 14, 2027, per Covers.
Rotten Tomatoes says Project Hail Mary, the final Dune film, Cannes favorite La Bola Negra and The Odyssey are most likely to lead nominations. Its ten Best Picture picks also include Obsession, Possible Love, The Invite, The Debut, The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth and Wild Horse Nine. Tom Cruise’s Digger is listed as a possible spoiler after a mixed critical response.
Nolan is picked to win Best Director, with Martin McDonagh, Denis Villeneuve, Jesse Eisenberg and Phil Lord and Chris Miller rounding out the predicted nominees. In acting, Rotten Tomatoes lists Julianne Moore (The Debut), Paul Giamatti (The Debut), John Malkovich (Wild Horse Nine) and Anne Hathaway (The Odyssey) as consensus picks. Best Actor nominees predicted are Matt Damon, Malkovich, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling and John Turturro.
Prediction markets agree on the frontrunner. Covers shows The Odyssey at 49 percent on Kalshi for Best Picture, ahead of La Bola Negra at 27 percent and Dune: Part Three at 10 percent. Rotten Tomatoes cautions that October picks often miss, noting that early consensus favorites such as Demi Moore and Timothée Chalamet did not win last season.