2018 Oscar Predictions: VISUAL EFFECTS and MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING (December Part 1)
The 20 finalists for the Visual Effects Oscar race were announced this week and Blade Runner 2049 is still our leader. From our predictions last month only mother! failed to make the cut. Only Dunkirk and The Shape of Water swap spots this month but both Best Picture hopefuls remain in the top 5.
In Makeup & Hairstyling, there is no competing with Darkest Hour which should easily win this come next March. All the Money in the World strangely hangs on even after Spacey’s removal (methinks Matt hasn’t updated) and the only addition is Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Makeup and Hairstyling finalists will be announced soon.
2018 Oscar Predictions (December Part 1): BEST PICTURE | BEST DIRECTOR | BEST ACTOR | BEST ACTRESS | SUPPORTING ACTOR | SUPPORTING ACTRESS | THE SCREENPLAYS | ANIMATED FEATURE | FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM | FILM EDITING and CINEMATOGRAPHY | PRODUCTION and COSTUME DESIGN | SOUND EDITING and SOUND MIXING | ORIGINAL SCORE and ORIGINAL SONG
These are the official 2018 Oscar Predictions in Visual Effects and Makeup & Hairstyling for the first half of November from the Gold Rush Gang. Keep an eye on all of the Gold Rush Gang’s 2018 Oscar predictions updated LIVE throughout the month.
Green – moves up from last month
Red – moves down from last month
Blue – debut/new entry
| VISUAL EFFECTS | ERIK ANDERSON |
BRYAN BONAFEDE | GREG HOWARD | EVAN KOST |
JASON OSIASON | KENNETH POLISHCHUK |
DENIZCAN SÜRÜCÜ | RICHARD ANTHONY |
ŞÜKRÜ SÖĞÜT | MATT DINN | TOTAL POINTS |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blade Runner 2049 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 97 |
| 2 | War for the Planet of the Apes | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 89 |
| 3 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 82 |
| 4 | Dunkirk | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 63 |
| 5 | The Shape of Water | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 62 |
| 6 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 47 |
| 7 | Beauty and the Beast (2017) | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 36 |
| 8 | Thor: Ragnarok | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 27 | |
| 9 | Wonder Woman | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 25 | |
| 10 | Kong: Skull Island | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 12 | ||
| 11 | Transformers: The Last Knight | 7 | 4 | |||||||||
| 12 | Okja | 8 | 3 | |||||||||
| 13 | Spider-Man: Homecoming | 10 | 1 |
OTHER CONTENDERS
Alien: Covenant
Ghost in the Shell
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Justice League
Logan
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
| MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING | ERIK ANDERSON |
BRYAN BONAFEDE | GREG HOWARD | EVAN KOST |
JASON OSIASON | KENNETH POLISHCHUK |
DENIZCAN SÜRÜCÜ | RICHARD ANTHONY |
ŞÜKRÜ SÖĞÜT | MATT DINN | TOTAL POINTS |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darkest Hour | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100 |
| 2 | The Shape of Water | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 80 | |
| 3 | I, Tonya | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 66 | ||
| 4 | All the Money in the World | 3 | 8 | |||||||||
| 4 | Beauty and the Beast (2017) | 3 | 8 | |||||||||
| 4 | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 | 3 | 8 |
OTHER CONTENDERS
Blade Runner 2049
Ghost in the Shell (2017)
The Greatest Showman
Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
Phantom Thread
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
The Post
Thor: Ragnarok
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Victoria and Abdul
War for the Planet of the Apes
Wonder
Wonderstruck
- Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC) Awards [Updating Live] - December 14, 2025
- Producers Guild Awards Nominations for Sports, Children’s and Short-Form Programs - December 12, 2025
- Wim Wenders to Lead 76th Berlin International Film Festival Jury - December 12, 2025



Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC) Awards [Updating Live]
Producers Guild Awards Nominations for Sports, Children’s and Short-Form Programs
Wim Wenders to Lead 76th Berlin International Film Festival Jury
2026 Oscar Predictions: ADAPTED SCREENPLAY and ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (December)