2025 Oscars Best Sound Predictions

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

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OSCARS | EMMYS | GRAMMYS | TONYS

2025 Oscars Predictions:
Best Sound

Weekly Commentary (Updated Nov. 19, 2024): Multiple musicals and big, loud sci-fi franchises are in contention for their aural sensations.

We have a diverse lineup of musicals and sprawling sci-fi epics in contention for this year’s Sound category, celebrating the art of immersive auditory storytelling. The category, which honors the efforts of sound editors and re-recording mixers, has evolved to recognize films that push the boundaries of what audiences hear on screen. Recent winners like Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” (2021) and George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015) exemplify how exceptional sound design can amplify a director’s vision. Coincidentally, both filmmakers are back in the race this year with “Dune: Part Two” and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” likely heavyweights in the category. Not to mention Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” which can be one of the beloved technical juggernauts of the season.

Over the past decade, a notable trend has emerged: an overlap between Sound and Film Editing nominees and winners. Films such as “Ford v Ferrari” (2019), “Dunkirk” (2017) and “Sound of Metal” (2020) triumphed in both categories, highlighting the integral relationship between sound design and the pacing of a film’s narrative. These examples underscore how the technical aspects of cinema — sound and editing — work hand in hand to enhance storytelling.

However, this synergy is less of a requirement for musicals, which rely on a different kind of auditory precision. Music biopics like “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018) have won in both categories (back when sound was split into separate awards for mixing and editing). Still, other music-heavy films have found success in Sound alone. “Whiplash” (2014), “La La Land” (2016) and “A Star is Born” (2018) all secured nominations for their standout soundscapes. This trend bodes well for entries like the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” and the Robbie Williams-as-a-monkey feature “Better Man.”

Regarding traditional musicals, a sound nomination often signals broader Academy support. This year, Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez” and Universal Pictures’ “Wicked” are two major contenders. If either hopes to secure a best picture nomination — or win — a sound nod will be a critical step. Historically, musicals like “Les Misérables” (2012), “Dreamgirls” (2006) and “Chicago” (2002) have proven that exemplary design is essential for elevating the genre’s storytelling.

The challenge for “Wicked” by Jon M. Chu will ensure its fantastical world resonates visually and aurally, capturing Elphaba’s sweeping drama and intimate journey. Meanwhile, “Emilia Pérez” from Jacques Audiard, with its unique blend of musicality and bold storytelling, could impress voters if it matches its striking visuals with equally compelling sound design.

Read: You can see all Academy Award predictions in all 23 categories on one page on the Variety Awards Circuit: Oscars.

The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2.

NOTE: All movie listings, titles, distributors, and credited artisans are not final and are subject to change. The Academy ultimately determines who receives nominations.

** denotes the film is not yet dated or can open in 2025.

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And the Predicted Nominees Are

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Next in Line

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Other Contenders

Eligible Artisans (Best Sound)

** This list is incomplete and not yet finalized. Not all films have distribution or release dates. All are subject to change.

• “Alien: Romulus” (20th Century Studios)

• “All We Imagine as Light” (Janus Films/Sideshow)

• “Anora” (Neon)

• “The Apprentice” (Briarcliff Entertainment)

• “Babygirl” (A24)

• “Back to Black” (Focus Features)

• “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros.)

• “Better Man” (Paramount Pictures)

• “Between the Temples” (Sony Pictures Classics)

• “The Bikeriders” (Focus Features)

• “Bird” (Mubi)

• “Black Dog” (The Forge)

• “Blink” (National Geographic)

• “Blink Twice” (Amazon MGM)

• “Blitz” (Apple Original Films)

• “Bob Marley: One Love” (Paramount Pictures)

• “The Book of Clarence” (Sony Pictures)

• “The Brutalist” (A24)

• “Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid!” (CNN Films)

• “Challengers” (Amazon MGM)

• “Civil War” (A24)

• “The Colors Within” (GKids)

• “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures)

• “Conclave” (Focus Features)

• “The Count of Monte Cristo” (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

• “Daddio” (Sony Pictures Classics)

• “Dahomey” (Mubi)

• “Daughters” (Netflix)

• “Day of the Fight” (Falling Forward Films)

• “Deadpool & Wolverine” (Marvel Studios)

• “The Deliverance” (Netflix)

• “Despicable Me 4” (Illumination/Universal Pictures)

• “A Different Man” (A24)

• “Dìdi” (Focus Features)

• “Drive-Away Dolls” (Focus Features)

• “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)

• “Elton John: Never Too Late” (Walt Disney Pictures)

• “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)

• “The End” (Neon)

• “Evil Does Not Exist” (Sideshow)

• “Exhibiting Forgiveness” (Roadside Attractions)

• “Ezra” (Roadside Attractions)

• “Fancy Dance” (Apple Original Films)

• “Femme” (Utopia)

• “The Fire Inside” (Amazon MGM)

• “Firebrand” (Roadside Attractions)

• “Flow” (Janus Films/Sideshow)

• “Frida” (Amazon MGM)

• “The Front Room” (A24)

• “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (Warner Bros.)

• “Girls Will be Girls” (Juno Films)

• “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)

• “Ghostlight” (IFC Films)

• “Good One” (Metrograph Pictures)

• “The Greatest Hits” (Searchlight Pictures)

• “Green Border” (Kino Lorber)

• “Hard Truths” (Bleecker Street)

• “Here” (Sony Pictures)

• “Heretic” (A24)

• “His Three Daughters” (Netflix)

• “Hit Man” (Netflix)

• “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” (Warner Bros.)

• “I Am Celine Dion” (Amazon MGM)

• “I Saw the TV Glow” (A24)

• “I’m Still Here” (Sony Pictures Classics)

• “The Idea of You” (Amazon MGM)

• “IF” (Paramount Pictures)

• “The Imaginary” (Netflix)

• “In the Summers” (Music Box Films)

• “Inside Out 2” (Pixar)

• “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” (Kino Lorber)

• “It Ends With Us” (Sony Pictures)

• “Janet Planet” (A24)

• “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.)

• “Kinds of Kindness” (Searchlight Pictures)

• “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (20th Century Studios)

• “Kneecap” (Sony Pictures Classics)

• “The Last Showgirl” (Roadside Attractions)

• “Lee” (Roadside Attractions)

• “Longlegs” (Neon)

• “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” (Warner Bros.)

• “Los Frikis” (Wayward/Range Releasing)

• “Love Lies Bleeding” (A24)

• “Maria” (Netflix)

• “Megalopolis” (Lionsgate)

• “Memoir of a Snail” (IFC Films)

• “Misericordia” (Janus Films)

• “Moana 2” (Walt Disney Pictures)

• “Monkey Man” (Universal Pictures)

• “The Most Precious of Cargoes” (StudioCanal)

• “Mothers’ Instinct” (Neon)

• “Mufasa: The Lion King” (Walt Disney Pictures)

• “My Old Ass” (Amazon MGM)

• “Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM/Orion)

• “Nightbitch” (Searchlight Pictures)

• “No Other Land” (Antipode Films)

• “Nosferatu” (Focus Features)

• “Oh, Canada” (Kino Lorber)

• “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” (A24)

• “One Life” (Bleecker Street)

• “The Order” (Vertical Entertainment)

• “The Outrun” (Sony Pictures Classics)

• “Parthenope” (A24)

• “The People’s Joker” (Altered Innocence)

• “The Piano Lesson” (Netflix)

• “Piece by Piece” (Focus Features)

• “Queer” (A24)

• “A Real Pain” (Searchlight Pictures)

• “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” (Netflix)

• “The Return” (Bleecker Street)

• “Rez Ball” (Netflix)

• “The Room Next Door” (Sony Pictures Classics)

• “Rumours” (Bleecker Street)

• “Santosh” (Metrograph Pictures)

• “Sasquatch Sunset” (Bleecker Street)

• “Saturday Night” (Sony Pictures)

• “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (Neon)

• “September 5” (Paramount Pictures)

• “Shirley” (Netflix)

• “Sing Sing” (A24)

• “The Six Triple Eight” (Netflix)

• “Small Things Like These” (Lionsgate)

• “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” (Paramount Pictures)

• “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” (Kino Lorber)

• “Spellbound” (Netflix)

• “Stopmotion” (IFC/Shudder)

• “The Substance” (Mubi)

• “Sugarcane” (National Geographic Documentary Films)

• “Suncoast” (Searchlight Pictures)

• “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” (Warner Bros.)

• “That Christmas” (Netflix)

• “Thelma” (Magnolia Pictures)

• “To a Land Unknown” (Watermelon Pictures)

• “Transformers One” (Paramount Pictures)

• “Tuesday” (A24)

• “Twisters” (Universal Pictures)

• “Ultraman: Rising” (Netflix)

• “Unstoppable” (Amazon MGM)

• “Venom: The Last Dance” (Sony Pictures)

• “Vermiglio” (Janus Films and Sidehow)

• “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” (Netflix)

• “We Grown Now” (Sony Pictures Classics)

• “We Live in Time” (A24)

• “Wicked” (Universal Pictures)

• “The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation)

• “Wildcat” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)

• “Will & Harper” (Netflix)

• “Woman of the Hour” (Netflix)

• “Yintah” (Netflix)

• “Young Woman and the Sea” (Walt Disney Pictures)

More Information (Oscars: Sound)

2024 category winner: “The Zone of Interest” (A24) — Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn

2024-2025 Oscars Calendar and Timeline – Full awards season calendar here

• Eligibility period: Jan. 1, 2024 – Dec. 31, 2024

• General entry, best picture, RAISE submission deadline: Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024

• Governors Awards: Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024

• Preliminary voting begins Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, at 9 a.m. PT.

• Preliminary voting ends Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at 5 p.m. PT.

• Oscar Shortlists Announcement: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024

• Eligibility period ends: Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024

• Nominations voting begins Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, at 9 a.m. PT.

• Nominations voting ends Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, at 5 p.m. PT.

• Oscar Nominations Announcement: Friday, Jan. 17, 2025

• Oscar Nominees Luncheon: Monday, Feb. 10, 2025

• Final voting begins Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at 9 a.m. PT

• Final voting ends: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at 5 p.m. PT

• Scientific and Technical Awards: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025

• 97th Oscars: Sunday, March 2, 2025

Oscars Prediction Categories

About the Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners have been selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Nineteen branches are represented within the nearly 11,000-person membership. The branches are actors, animators, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films, sound, visual effects and writers.

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