2025 Oscars: Finalists for Visual Effects Oscar Revealed Include ‘Wicked,’ ‘Gladiator II,’ ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’
The finalists in the running for the Visual Effects Oscar were revealed today, including the blockbusters Wicked, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Gladiator II, as well as yet-to-be released titles like Musfasa: The Lion King and Better Man. Variety was first to report this story with an exclusive on the titles via multiple sources, where 17 finalists were named, with three more to be updated.
Update (12/11): Variety has confirmed that The Fall Guy and The Substance are on the list.
Warner Bros notched four titles with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Dune: Part Two, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire while Universal Pictures has three; The Fall Guy, Twisters and Wicked, and Paramount Pictures nabbed two: Better Man and Gladiator II.
Variety also confirmed a handful of films that did not make the top 20 and will not be in the running for a Visual Effects Oscar nomination. Among those missing out are Nosferatu, Blitz, If, Kraven the Hunter, Megalopolis, Venom: The Last Dance and Unstoppable.
Shortlist voting begins tomorrow, Monday, December 9 and goes to Friday, December 13. The shortlist of 10 finalists, alongside nine other Oscar categories, will be revealed on Tuesday, December 17. As with the shortlist, the Visual Effects branch will vote for the five nominees for the 97th Academy Awards, which will be revealed on January 17, 2025.
Here is the list of 19 finalists with one remaining to be confirmed.
Alien: Romulus (20th Century Studios)
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros)
Better Man (Paramount Pictures)
Civil War (A24)
Deadpool & Wolverine (Marvel Studios)
Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros)
The Fall Guy (Universal Pictures)
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (Warner Bros)
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony Pictures)
Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures)
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Warner Bros)
Here (Sony Pictures)
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Studios)
Mufasa: The Lion King (Walt Disney Pictures)
A Quiet Place: Day One (Paramount Pictures)
Spaceman (Netflix)
The Substance (MUBI)
Twisters (Universal Pictures)
Wicked (Universal Pictures)
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- 2024 Georgia Film Critics Association (GAFCA) Winners - January 8, 2025
- Directors Guild of America (DGA) Nominations: Edward Berger, James Mangold, Jacques Audiard Lead All-Male Lineup, Blockbuster Directors Miss Out - January 8, 2025
- 31st Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards Nominations: ‘Wicked’ Leads Motion Picture, ‘Shōgun’ Leads Television - January 8, 2025
2024 Georgia Film Critics Association (GAFCA) Winners 
Directors Guild of America (DGA) Nominations: Edward Berger, James Mangold, Jacques Audiard Lead All-Male Lineup, Blockbuster Directors Miss Out 
31st Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards Nominations: ‘Wicked’ Leads Motion Picture, ‘Shōgun’ Leads Television 
2024 Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) EDA Award Winners: ‘The Brutalist’ and ‘The Substance’ Lead