Oscars 2024 predictions and pool picks: Full list of nominees, odds, best bets for the 96th Academy Awards

Sloan Piva

Oscars 2024 predictions and pool picks: Full list of nominees, odds, best bets for the 96th Academy Awards image

The 96th Academy Awards kick off this Sunday night (7:00 p.m. ET, ABC), with the writers' strike and the Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscars dustup now seeming like ancient history. The entertainment awards show of all awards shows has become a cult classic among bettors over the years, so today we will offer up our advice on the best bets and full betting odds for the top categories like Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and more.

A number of different blockbuster hits have generated plenty of Oscar buzz, highlighted by "Oppenheimer" and "Killers of the Flower Moon." Other super popular films like "Barbie" landed some nominations but also got snubbed in certain spots. And as always, many of the nominated films, filmmakers, and stars will go home empty-handed Sunday evening.

Here's a guide to Hollywood's biggest night of the year, from how to watch the Academy Awards to the betting odds and other information you need to help you dominate your Oscar pool or betting picks.

STREAM: Watch the 2024 Oscars for free with Fubo

2024 Oscars predictions and pool picks: Full list of nominees

Below is a complete list of nominees from each major category of the 96th Academy Awards, along with Sporting News' official predictions. All betting odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook

Best Picture

Film Odds
Oppenheimer -5000
Poor Things +2000
The Zone of Interest +2500
The Holdovers +2800
Barbie +3500
Killers of the Flower Moon +4000
Anatomy of a Fall +4000
American Fiction +8000
Past Lives +10000
Maestro +15000

SN pick: "Oppenheimer." This might be the biggest lock since "The Departed" in 2006. 

We can't get over Cillian Murphy's phenomenal performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer, and esteemed director Christopher Nolan has told his most masterful story yet.

Enjoy the free square in your pool, folks, unless you somehow have the overhead to risk $5,000 to make $100. The -5000 odds translate to a 98 percent win probability. 

MORE: Remembering Kobe Bryant's Oscar win for 'Dear Basketball'

Best Director

Director Odds
Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer) -5000
Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things) +2000
Martin Scorcese (Killers of the Flower Moon) +2200
Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest) +3500
Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall) +6500

SN pick: Nolan for "Oppenheimer." The man responsible for "The Dark Knight" trilogy, "Inception," and "Dunkirk" has told his most brilliant and complex story yet.

"Oppenheimer" is a work of art, and the eighth Oscar nomination will be the charm for the 53-year-old British filmmaker. Sorry, Marty, you can't win 'em all!  

Best Actor

Actor Odds
Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) -1000
Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) +500
Bradley Cooper (Maestro) +1600
Colman Domingo (Rustin) +8000
Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction) +8000

SN pick: Murphy as "Oppenheimer."

Most other years, Giamatti would probably run away with a statue for his portrayal of a hilariously brutal Barton College professor in the mid-1970s. Alexander Payne, who directed Giamatti in "Sideways" in 2004, brings out the best in his counterpart.

But, alas, Murphy will not be denied for his historically haunting portrayal of the rise and fall of the man behind the atomic bomb. He has already won the Golden Globe, BAFTA, ans SAG Award, a clear indicator he's about to win his first Oscar. Three up, three down

Best Actress

Actress Odds
Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon) -225
Emma Stone (Poor Things) +150
Sandra Huller (Anatomy of a Fall) +3500
Carey Mulligan (Maestro) +5000
Annette Bening (Nyad) +5000

SN pick: Gladstone for "Killers of the Flower Moon." In a film about wicked men ruthlessly killing in the name of greed, it's the beautifully staggering performance of Gladstone as Mollie that really makes the movie.

An Indigenous woman who lived her first 11 years on a Montana reservation, Gladstone operates as the main vessel for a dark central narrative so few members of cinema have been willing to tell. As RogerEbert.com Managing Editor put so eloquently, "How did we allow blood to fertilize the soil of this country?"

Stone was brilliant in "Poor Things," but she already has an Oscar for "La La Land." Huller was even more moving in "Anatomy of a Fall," which has been criminally overlooked this awards season. We can't see either getting in the way of Gladstone making history as the first Native American to win an Oscar. 

Best Supporting Actor

Actor Odds
Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer) -3500
Ryan Gosling (Barbie) +1000
Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things) +2000
Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon) +2500
Sterling K Brown (American Fiction) +4000

SN pick: Downey Jr. in "Oppenheimer." It's almost unfair for an actor of Downey Jr.'s ability to be allowed to team up with Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy and be eligible for Best Supporting Actor. Like the odds suggest, this one was over before it was announced.

Side note: the Oscars messed up royally by nominating Gosling for "Barbie" here yet snubbing Margot Robbie for the title role. Talk about tone-deaf on the part of the Academy. 

Best Supporting Actress

Actress Odds
DaVine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers) -3500
Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer) +2000
Danielle Brooks (The Colour Purple) +2000
America Ferrera (Barbie) +2000
Jodie Foster (Nyad) +4000

SN pick: Da'Vine Joy Randolph for her breakout performance in "The Holdovers." It's not often a household-name actor with Paul Giamatti's range has the show stolen by a supporting actress few film buffs knew a year prior.

Randolph's deeply heartbreaking performance as a grieving mother brought tears to the eyes of parents worldwide, and it will soon make her the 10th black woman to win Best Supporting Actress.

What time are the Oscars on in 2024?

  • Date: Sunday, March 10
  • Start time: 7 p.m. ET | 4 p.m. PT

The Oscars will start at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) on Sunday, March 11, live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

The pre-event coverage will be streamed live for free on Twitter (@TheAcademy) starting at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday.

STREAM: Watch the 2024 Oscars for free with Fubo

What channel are the 2024 Oscars on?

  • TV channel: ABC
  • Live stream: Fubo 

The Oscars will be broadcast live on ABC to a national audience. You can also stream the show via Fubo which is offering a free trial

Who's hosting the Academy Awards in 2024?

Jimmy Kimmel, host of ABC's 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!', will host the Academy Awards for the second consecutive year and fourth time total. 

Jimmy-Kimmel-FILE-040820-Getty-FTR

Kimmel also hosted last year, after comedian Chris Rock hosted in 2022. In the most infamous moment in Academy Awards history, Rock got assaulted by superstar actor Will Smith after the comedian cracked a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. 

MORE: Smith's Best Actor win for playing Venus & Serena's dad in 'King Richard'

Sloan Piva

Sloan Piva Photo

Sloan Piva is a content producer for The Sporting News, primarily focused on betting, fantasy sports, and poker. A lifelong New Englander, Sloan earned his BA and MA in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts and now lives in coastal Rhode Island with his wife and two kids.