Warner Bros Discovery makes Oscar's history; Breaks its own studio record with 30 nominations in 2026

The race for the Oscars 2026 has begun, and the nominations were announced on Thursday (22 Jan). This year, the one studio that has scripted history is Warner Bros, earning 30 nominations. With this, the studio beats its own record, last set in 2005 and finally achieves a historic milestone amidst the turbulent financial crisis.

A big win for the studio

Warner Bros. achieved a big win for the 98th Academy Awards, earning 30 nominations, including a history-making 16 nods for Ryan Coogler's vampire thriller Sinners, 13 for Paul Thomas Anderson's comedic adventure One Battle After Another, and 1 for Amy Madigan's supporting role in Weapons. Michael B Jordan starrer set a new benchmark, sweeping away most nominations, surpassing previous records for most nominations for a single film.

The milestone marks a standout year for the studio, surpassing its previous record set in 2005. The studio had a major Oscar success with Million Dollar Baby, winning Best Picture, Hilary Swank for Best Actress, Morgan Freeman for Best Supporting Actor, and Clint Eastwood for Best Director. Other WB films nominated that year included Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and The Aviator.

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The studio has clinched nominations in a wide range of categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, acting honours, and numerous technical awards, marking their best Oscar performance ever this year.

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On the evening of Thursday, January 22, Warner Bros thanked the Academy Awards on their social media handles, highlighting the 30 nominations for their cast and crew, including the record-setting 16 nominations for Ryan Coogler's Sinners, starring Michael B Jordan and Leonardo DiCaprio, and featuring One Battle After Another with 13 nominations.

“This is a truly golden moment for our company and also a powerful validation of our strategy: to believe in movies, to believe in original storytelling, and to believe in the theatrical experience,” said Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav. He added, “I want to congratulate Mike and Pam and their teams across Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema for the vision, leadership, and creative conviction that made this possible.”

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He continued, “This is a special moment for our company, for our filmmaking partners, and for audiences everywhere who love great storytelling. We should all take great pride and keep raising the bar.”

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Warner Bros Discovery financial crisis in 2025

Warner Bros is one of the oldest Hollywood studios and is the house of several iconic entertainment projects across television, film, and streaming, including the Harry Potter film franchise, Friends, among others.

The film studio has faced significant financial challenges in recent years, which eventually led to negotiations with Netflix, which has offered the studio a $83 billion all-cash deal.

However, with the Oscars still to come, Warner Bros enters the big night as a frontrunner, having received the most nominations. Now, whether the nominations lead to wins remains to be seen, but the studio has already made history by becoming the most nominated studio at the 2026 Academy Awards.