The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards have been announced, and, as expected, KPop Demon Hunters made history. On the other hand, it delivered a surprising disappointment for director Park Chan Wook as No Other Choice did not receive a single nod. This year’s Oscars also saw a record-breaking performance from the film Sinners.
The nominees for a total of 24 categories were revealed on January 22 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
The most nominated film this year is “Sinners,” directed by Ryan Coogler, which earned 16 Oscar nominations and set a new Academy Awards record.
This breaks the previous record of 14 nominations held by films such as All About Eve and Titanic. Sinners received nominations in major categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
Other films with high nomination counts include “One Battle After Another” with 13 nominations, “Frankenstein” with 10 nominations, and “Hamnet” with 8 nominations.
“KPop Demon Hunters” Earns Two Oscar Nominations
Netflix’s animated film “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, received two Oscar nominations. The film is nominated for Best Animated Feature Film, where it will compete against Zootopia 2, Elio, Little Amelie, and Argo. It is also nominated for Best Original Song for its soundtrack hit “Golden.”
“Golden” Becomes First K-Pop Song Nominated for an Oscar
The song “Golden,” performed by the fictional K-pop group HUNTR/X, has made history as the first K-pop song ever nominated for an Academy Award.
The song was written and composed by EJAE (Kim Eun-jae / Lee Jae) and Mark Sonnenblick, with production by Teddy Park and 24. EJAE is credited as the song’s performer.
“Golden” has already won Best Original Song at both the Golden Globe Awards and the Critics’ Choice Awards, which makes it a strong Oscar contender. The song also became a global hit and topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks.
At the Oscars, “Golden” will compete against “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless, “I Ride to You” from Sinners, “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi, and “Train Dreams” from Train Dreams.
K-Pop Demon Hunters has shown strong momentum throughout the awards season. At the Critics’ Choice Awards on January 4, 2026, the film won Best Animated Feature and Best Song for “Golden.”
At the Golden Globe Awards on January 11, 2026, it won Best Motion Picture – Animated and Best Original Song – Motion Picture.
The film’s soundtrack also earned five nominations at the 68th Grammy Awards, scheduled for February 1, 2026. The nominations include Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo or Group Performance, Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, Best Song Written for Visual Media, and Best Remixed Recording for the David Guetta remix of “Golden.”
These nominations mark several firsts. “Golden” is the first song from an animated film in nearly 30 years to be nominated for Song of the Year. It is also one of the first K-pop songs ever nominated in that category, alongside ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’s “APT.” EJAE became the first Korean-American female songwriter to receive a Song of the Year nomination.
Park Chan Wook’s No Other Choice Snubbed at Oscars 2026
Despite strong expectations, Park Chan Wook’s black comedy thriller “No Other Choice,” starring Son Ye Jin and Lee Byung hun, did not receive an Oscar nomination.
The film was submitted as South Korea’s official entry for the International Feature Film category, but failed to make the final shortlist. This omission was considered one of the biggest surprises of the nominations.
The final nominees in the category were “The Secret Agent” from Brazil, “It Was Just an Accident” from France, “Sentimental Value” from Norway, “The Voice of Hind Rajab” from Tunisia, and “Sirat” from Spain.
98th Academy Awards Ceremony Details
Global stars will gather for the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, LA. The ceremony will be hosted by Conan O’Brien, his second consecutive year as host.
The event will be broadcast live on ABC and streamed on Hulu in the United States. This year will also introduce a new Oscar category, Best Casting, for the first time.
