Berkeley, California, 23 January 2026 (dpa/MIA) - US horror film "Sinners" on Thursday received a record 16 Academy Award nominations, the most in Oscars history, ahead of the famed ceremony's 98th edition.

Ryan Coogler's vampire thriller surged to the top of the history books with nominations for best picture, best director, best actor, best original score and best supporting actress.

It surpasses the 14 nominations garnered by "All About Eve" in 1950, blockbuster "Titanic" in 1998 and 2017 musical "La La Land."

Paul Thomas Anderson's epic "One Battle After Another" was close behind with 13 nominations for this year's Oscars, followed by "Frankenstein," Josh Safdie's "Marty Supreme" and Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value" with nine each.

The best actor prize is likely to be hotly contested between stars Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan and Ethan Hawke.

Jessie Buckley's performance in "Hamnet" - an adaption of a book modelled on the life of William Shakespeare - could see her take home the best actress award ahead of two-time winner Emma Stone and Kate Hudson, with Norwegian star Renate Reinsve also nominated alongside Rose Byrne.

In the directing category, Coogler and Anderson are up against Safdie, Trier and Chloé Zhao for "Hamnet."

The acting categories could be a home run for "One Battle After Another," with Teyana Taylor the runaway favourite for best supporting actress and both Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro nominated for best supporting actor.

German drama "Sound of Falling" failed to be nominated for best international feature film. Tunisia's "The Voice of Hind Rajab" faces off against Brazil's "The Secret Agent," "Sentimental Value," Spanish thriller "Sirāt" and Jafar Panahi's "It was Just an Accident," a co-production of Iran, France and Luxembourg.

The drama "Sentimental Value" by Norwegian director Joachim Trier, about a father-daughter relationship, won the European Film Award for Best Film last weekend.

The lead actors – Sweden's Stellan Skarsgård and Norway's Renate Reinsve – both won acting awards and Trier was also honoured for best director.

More than 10,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences vote at the Oscars, with a growing number of international filmmakers.

The 98th Oscars are set to be held on March 15 in Hollywood.

US comedian Conan O'Brien will return as host after making his debut in the role last year.

O'Brien, a long-time late-night television fixture, had his own shows for decades and now works primarily as a podcast host.

MIA file photo