2025 Oscar snubs: 'Challengers,' Denzel Washington, Nicole Kidman, and more

The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards dropped on Thursday, and as always, the list came with its fair share of snubs and surprises.

Jacques Audiard's Emilia Pérez received 13 nominations, but Selena Gomez — who'd been nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for her performance — lost out on a Supporting Actress nod. Coralie Fargeat's The Substance earned five nominations, but Margaret Qualley's supporting turn, which earned Golden Globe and Critics Choice nods, was not among them. Elsewhere, movies like Babygirl, Challengers, and Queer came up totally empty, even after earning nominations at other major awards like the Golden Globes.

What where the biggest snubs of the Oscar nominations this year? Let's get into it.

Challengers gets blanked.

Luca Guadagnino's Challengers, one of Mashable's best movies of 2024, got completely shut out at the 2025 Oscar nominations, even after getting Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture — Musical/Comedy and for Zendaya's leading performance. While it missed out on nominations in those fields at this year's Oscars, the most surprising snub of all here is undoubtedly the lack of recognition for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' pulsing techno score. Not only did their work turn a tense tennis mash into a full-on rave — it also won the Golden Globe for Best Original Score over four of the five Oscar nominees. (Somehow, Wicked got in instead.)

Daniel Craig misses out on a nomination for Queer.

After earning Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and Screen Actors Guild nominations, Daniel Craig missed out on his first Oscar nomination for his performance in Luca Guadagnino's Queer. The rest of the movie came up empty-handed, but it's the lack of Craig that stings the most, because, as Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko wrote in her review of Queer, "Craig is mesmerizing as Lee, swanning from catty gossip sessions to carnal encounters to body-rattling withdrawals and psychedelic splendors. It's easy to be beguiled by his charms, including a suave sex appeal made less intimidating by his tendency toward silliness."

The Oscars fail to recognize Denis Villeneuve for Dune: Part Two.

In 2022, the Academy Awards snubbed Denis Villeneuve for his direction of Dune, and I thought, "Well, surely they won't do that again." But the Academy loves to surprise me, because they repeated their egregious mistake this year by failing to recognize Villeneuve's work on the arguably more challenging Dune: Part Two. That's the sci-fi equivalent of not nominating Peter Jackson for directing any of The Lord of the Rings installments!

Nicole Kidman, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Pamela Anderson, and Angelina Jolie lose out on Best Actress nominations.

The Best Actress race this year was a bloodbath (when is it not?), with Babygirl's Nicole Kidman, Hard Truths' Marianne Jean-Baptiste, The Last Showgirl's Pamela Anderson, and Maria's Angelina Jolie all losing out. Each snub was surprising in its own way. Kidman won the 2024 Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, while also earning a Golden Globe nomination. Jean-Baptiste earned BAFTA and Critics Choice nominations, and was a repeated favorite with Critics Associations. Anderson picked up Golden Globe and SAG nods, and Jolie was recognized by the Golden Globes and Critics Choice. None of these accolades, however, translated to an Oscar nomination.

Denzel Washington gets snubbed for his Gladiator II performance.

Of the six actors nominated for Best Supporting Actor at this year's Golden Globes, the only actor not to make it into the category at the Oscars was Denzel Washington for his performance in Gladiator II. In her Mashable review, Puchko raved that, "Denzel Washington steals this movie," so it's a shame that his scene-stealing turn was denied an Oscar nod.

How to watch: The 97th Academy Awards will air on ABC and Hulu on Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 7 p.m. ET.