posted by

Ashlee Pradella

July 21, 2025

What Makes a Film Oscar-Worthy

And Why Being the Best Will Only Get You So Far…

Each year, as awards season heats up and the Best Picture race starts to take shape, a familiar question resurfaces:

What exactly makes a film worthy of an Oscar?

On paper, the Academy Awards are meant to celebrate the best films of the year, the pinnacle of cinematic achievement. But in reality, there’s far more at play. Politics, perception, timing, narrative, and momentum all have seats at the table. Great films can get left behind. Lesser ones can ride a wave of buzz straight to the Dolby Theatre. And somewhere in between lies the mysterious sweet spot of “Oscar-worthy.”

So, what does that actually mean in 2025?

The Myth of “Best”

Let’s start here: being “good” is not enough. Even being great isn’t always enough.
Ask any awards strategist and they’ll tell you, the Oscars don’t just reward quality, they reward relevance. A film needs to feel of the moment, whether that’s politically, socially, artistically, or culturally. It needs to tap into something, either a narrative, a theme, or a shift in the zeitgeist.

This is why a film like The Substance, which pushed genre boundaries and kept itself in the conversation all year, found a surprising foothold in the Best Picture race. Not just because of what it was, but because of how it mattered.

The Oscar Formula (And Why It’s Not Foolproof)

There is an unofficial blueprint for getting nominated. Let’s call it “Oscar bait”:
A prestige drama, often with historical or biographical subject matter. Strong performances. Big emotions. An auteur at the helm. A fall festival debut. Ideally, a December release. Bonus points if it’s about trauma, addiction, war, or grief.

And while those ingredients help (Oppenheimer, Tár, The Fabelmans all say hi), following the formula is no guarantee. Plenty of films do all the “right” things and still don’t make the cut. Meanwhile, unexpected contenders break through all the time. These are films that refuse to play the game but somehow win it anyway.

Ultimately, the Academy wants to reward films that feel significant. Not necessarily in budget, but in impact. And in recent years, we’ve seen a noticeable shift away from the traditional idea of “Oscar bait.” The new, more globally diverse Academy has challenged old assumptions about what a Best Picture winner looks like. From Parasite to Anora, voters have increasingly embraced films that are bold, culturally specific, or emotionally honest over the usual prestige packaging. The message is clear: significance isn’t about scale. It’s about what a film says, how it moves people, and whether it leaves a mark.

“strong performances. big emotions. an auteur at the helm.”

What the Oscars Actually Look For

Despite what the rulebook says, here’s what tends to help:

Innovation. The Academy loves to honor films that push the medium forward. Whether it’s technical achievement (Dune, Avatar, The Lord of the Rings) or formal experimentation (Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Zone of Interest, Nickel Boys), they notice when filmmakers are doing something new, or doing it at a level no one else can.
Cultural Capital. Some films become cultural touchstones. Parasite broke the language barrier by reflecting global class anxieties. Get Out weaponized genre for racial commentary. These films become part of a larger conversation, and the Oscars reward that.
Breadth of Craft. It’s rare for a Best Picture nominee to only show up in one category. The more boxes you tick (cinematography, editing, score, sound, production design) the stronger your chances. When a film earns across the board, the message is clear: the entire industry respects it.
Sustained Buzz. Timing matters, but so does longevity. Films that stay relevant across an entire year, through festivals, critical praise, thinkpieces, memes, and discourse, tend to have the upper hand. Being talked about can be just as valuable as being acclaimed.

It’s Not Just About Box Office, but That Helps Too

Contrary to old assumptions, a massive box office isn’t required. In fact, sometimes a film making too much money (Barbie or The Batman, for example) leads to a perception that it doesn’t need awards recognition.

But the Academy does like to include a couple of box office juggernauts each year, the ones that balance mass appeal with craft and meaning. Think: Top Gun: Maverick, Black Panther, Everything Everywhere All at Once. When a hit also happens to be great, it becomes undeniable.

At the same time, a key part of the Academy’s identity is spotlighting smaller films. Drive My Car, The Father, Aftersun, these quieter, more intimate works don’t pull in blockbuster dollars, but the Oscars help ensure they reach a wider audience. That’s part of the job.

The Pattern of Best Picture: The New Oscar Archetypes

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a clearer picture of what the Academy likes to mix in:

2 foreign-language films
2 or 3 box office juggernauts
1 experimental or genre-defying entry
1 debut or breakout filmmaker
1 or 2 biopics
3ish prestige dramas
1 wildcard that defies easy categorization

Of course, some films tick multiple boxes. And every year, there are a few that surprise. Usually films from first-time directors, streaming platforms, or ones that seem to come out of nowhere. That unpredictability keeps the race exciting.

One Studio, One Slot? Not Always.

It’s rare for one studio to land multiple Best Picture nominees, but it’s not impossible. The industry often likes to “spread the wealth,” but when a studio has a dominant year (think A24 in 2024 with The Zone of Interest and Past Lives) voters take notice. Still, internal competition can split support. Campaign strategy is key, and there’s only so much campaign budget to go around.

So What Makes a Film Oscar-Worthy in 2025?

More than ever, it’s a mix of craft, timing, momentum, and meaning. The film has to work on a technical and emotional level, but it also has to say something. It needs to reflect something about the time we’re living in, or the way we see the world. Or, at the very least, reflect the kind of world we wish we lived in.

Being a great movie is just the first step.
Being an Oscar movie means being impossible to ignore.