Wicked's Oscars Chances Get A Major Boost As It Achieves A Rare Feat Only 5 Other Movies Have Managed

Wicked's success at the Academy Awards seems more likely after the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations. The story of Wicked follows Elphaba and Glinda, who will become known as The Wicked Witch of the West and The Good Witch of the North, respectively, as students at Shiz University in the world of Oz. The movie is based on the critically-acclaimed Broadway musical of the same name and the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Ever since its release, reviews for Wickedhave been exceptional, prompting the movie to get major awards buzz.

The cast of Wickedincludes Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum. Recently, Wicked won the award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement at the Golden Globes, which is the first major ceremony of awards season. Now, Wicked has been nominated for five categories at the upcoming Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be held on February 23, 2025. Wicked being nominated for five categories at the SAG Awards has boosted its chances of winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

Wicked's 5 SAG Awards Nominations Are Unusual

Wicked Has Been A Standout During Awards Season

Erivo was nominated for the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role award, while Grande and Bailey were both nominated for Supporting Role awards. Additionally, Wicked's ensemble cast was nominated for the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture award, and the stunt team was also nominated for an award. Wicked being nominated for five categories is extremely impressive and very rare. In addition to Wicked, only five other movies have received five nominations at the SAG Awards.

Movies Nominated For Five SAG Awards	RT Critics Score	Best Picture
Shakespeare in Love (1998)	92%	Yes
Chicago (2002)	87%	Yes
Doubt (2008)	79%	No
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)	96%	No
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)	94%	Yes
Wicked (2024)	88%	n/a

The other five movies that were nominated for five awards at the SAG Awards are Shakespeare in Love, Chicago, Doubt, The Banshees of Inisherin, and Everything Everywhere All at Once. While two movies were nominated for five SAG Awards in 2023, this statistic proves that it is not common for a film to be nominated under this many categories at the SAG Awards. Therefore, Wicked being nominated for five SAG Awards has given it a lot of momentum as awards season continues.

History Gives Wicked A Good Chance Of Winning Best Picture Now

Wicked's Best Picture Chances Have Risen After The SAG Nominations

After the SAG Award nominations, Wicked has an even better chance at winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards. As seen in the above table, out of the aforementioned five movies, three of them went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Shakespeare in Love, Chicago, and Everything Everywhere All at Once took home the top prize at the Academy Awards, which means Wicked has a very strong chance of also winning Best Picture.

It is not common for musicals to win Best Picture, but it is undeniable that Wicked has a lot of momentum as the 2025 Academy Awards ceremony nears.

It is also worth nothing that Banshees of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All at Once were nominated in the same year. Therefore, obviously, only one of the films could have won Best Picture. Additionally, Wicked and Chicago also have a connection in this group since they are both musicals. Chicago was actually the last musical to win Best Picture. It is not common for musicals to win Best Picture, but it is undeniable that Wicked has a lot of momentum as the 2025 Academy Awards ceremony nears.

What Stands In The Way Of Wicked At The 2025 Oscars?

Wicked Has Tough Competition For The Best Picture Oscar

In addition to Wicked, there are also several other highly-rated 2024 movies that could prevent the musical from winning Best Picture. Currently, the favorites to win Best Picture at the 2025 Academy Awards seem to be Anora, Conclave, Emilia Pérez, and The Brutalist. The Brutalist won the Best Motion Picture - Drama award at the Golden Globes, which has historically led to a Best Picture win for many movies in previous years. However, The Brutalist was only nominated for one SAG Award, which is not ideal for a Best Picture winner.

Additionally, Emilia Pérez beat Wicked to win the Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy award at the Golden Globes. Emilia Pérez was nominated for three SAG Awards, and its Golden Globes success would suggest that it will receive more votes than Wicked to win Best Picture. However, things can change quickly during awards season. The results of the SAG Awards will make it more clear whether Wicked has a strong chance of finding success at the Academy Awards.