Ryan Coogler’s enthralling vampire saga, “Sinners,” has swept the board at the 98th Academy Awards with an unprecedented total of 16 nominations, making history as the most-nominated film ever at the Oscars.

In a remarkable show of appreciation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, “Sinners” surpassed the previous record of 14 nominations, a milestone shared by cinema classics such as “All About Eve,” “Titanic,” and “La La Land.” Coogler received nods for best director and best screenplay, while Michael B. Jordan, pulling double duty as star and actor, earned his first Oscar nomination for best actor.

Following closely behind, Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” garnered a commendable 13 nominations. This father-daughter revolutionary epic, which was a frontrunner for nominations, saw four of its stars—Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro, and Sean Penn—recognized by the Academy. However, newcomer Chase Infiniti was notably absent from the best actress category.

The striking prominence of these two films signals the Academy’s endorsement of profound and original American narratives that resonate powerfully with contemporary social issues. Coogler’s film, set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow era, is a rare horror film to capture the Academy’s attention, offering a symbolic reflection on Black life. Meanwhile, “One Battle After Another” explores themes of rebellion and authority within a fictionalized authoritarian regime.

Both films share a common home at Warner Bros., which, amidst a high-stakes acquisition by Netflix, is enjoying one of its most successful mornings of Oscar nominations in recent history. As Warner Bros. faces a transformative $72 billion purchase by Netflix, against competition from Paramount Skydance, the film industry is poised on the brink of one of its most significant shifts.

The 10 films nominated for best picture are “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “One Battle After Another,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value,” “Sinners” and “Train Dreams.”

Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme” and Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” all scored nine nominations.

The nine for “Marty Supreme” included a third best actor nod for 30-year-old Timothée Chalamet, the favorite in the category he narrowly missed winning last year for “A Complete Unknown.” With Jordan and Chalamet, the nominees are Leonardo DiCaprio for “One Battle After Another,” Ethan Hawke for “Blue Moon” and Wagner Moura for “The Secret Agent.”

Nominated for best actress was the category favorite, Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”), along with Rose Byrne (“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”), Kate Hudson (“Song Sung Blue”), Renate Reinsve (“Sentimental Value”) and two-time winner Emma Stone, who landed her sixth nomination, for “Bugonia.”

‘KPop’ leads a field light on big hits

The year’s most-watched movie, with more than half a billion views on Netflix, “KPop Demon Hunters,” scored nominations for both best song (“Golden”) and best animated feature. Sony Pictures developed and produced the film, but, after selling it to Netflix, watched it become a worldwide sensation.

Blockbusters otherwise had a difficult morning. Universal Pictures’ “Wicked: For Good” was shut out entirely. While “Avatar: Fire and Ash” notched nominations for costume design and visual effects, it became the first “Avatar” film not nominated for best picture. The biggest box-office hit nominated for Hollywood’s top award instead was “F1,” an Apple production that landed four nominations. The streamer partnered with Warner Bros. to distribute the racing drama.

This year, the Oscars are introducing a new category for casting. That new honor helped “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” pad their already impressive stats. Along with those two films, the nominees are “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme” and “The Secret Agent.”

An international shift continues

The academy, which has expanded its overseas membership in recent years, also continued its tilt toward international films. Every category included one international nominee. For the eighth year in the row, a non-English-language film was nominated for best picture. More non-English performances were nominated than ever before.

The top nominee of them all was Joachim Trier’s Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value.” It cleaned up in the supporting actor categories, with nods for Stellan Skarsgrd, Inga Ibsdotter LilIeaas and Elle Fanning. Also nominated for best supporting actress, in addition to Taylor: Amy Madigan for “Weapons” and Wunmi Mosaku for “Sinners.” In supporting actor, the nominees included Jacob Elordi for “Frankenstein” and, in a surprise that likely dislodged Paul Mescal of “Hamnet,” Delroy Lindo for “Sinners.”

A competitive best international feature category mirrored the turbulent state of the world. That included the Iranian revenge drama and Palme d’Or winner “It Was Just an Accident,” by the often-imprisoned filmmaker Jafar Panahi. He’s spoken passionately against the ongoing crackdown of demonstrators in his home country. France nominated the film.

Also nominated: the Tunisian entry “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” about volunteers at the Palestine Red Crescent Society; the Brazilian political thriller “The Secret Agent”; the apocalyptic Spanish road movie “Sirt” and “Sentimental Value.”

The 98th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 15 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will be televised live on ABC and Hulu.