2025 Oscars: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo’s ‘Wicked’ lands 10 nominations

THE 2024 musical fantasy film “Wicked,” topbilled by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, is among the leading nominees for the 97th Oscars, flying high with 10 nominations.

The Oscars, also known as the Academy Awards, is considered one of the most prestigious award-giving bodies which has been recognizing “excellence in cinematic achievements” since 1929.

The full list of nominees for the 2025 Oscars was unveiled on Thursday, January 23, with “Wicked” landing nominations in two of the “Big Five” award categories: Best Picture and Best Actress for Erivo.

In “Wicked,” the British actress-singer plays the role of a green-skinned young woman named Elphaba, who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. She attends Shiz University and befriends a popular young woman named Glinda—played by Grande—who becomes Glinda the Good.

Meanwhile, the “yes, and?” singer earned the Best Supporting Actress nomination for her portrayal of Glinda.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, “Wicked” is a two-part film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name. The first movie premiered in November 2024, while the second part will be released in November 2025.

Reports citing Universal said “Wicked” raked in $70 million in its first week of digital release in the United States and Canada.

Heartfelt reactions

The two “Wicked” lead stars turned emotional about their Oscars nominations, which are “unfathomable” for a first-time Oscar nominee like Grande.

“I cannot stop crying, to no one’s surprise. I’m humbled and deeply honored to be in such brilliant company and sharing this with tiny Ari who sat and studied Judy Garland singing ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ just before the big, beautiful bubble entered. I’m so proud of you, tiny,” wrote Grande in an Instagram post, where she shared a childhood photo of her.

The 31-year-old pop icon also expressed how proud she is of Erivo, who became the second Black woman to receive multiple Best Actress nominations at the Oscars, following “How to Get Away with Murder” star Viola Davis.

“Your brilliance is never-ending and you deserve every flower (tulip) in every garden,” Grande told Erivo. “I love you unconditionally, always.”

Erivo, on the other hand, thanked the Oscars for her Best Actress nomination, stressing that such a recognition “makes people feel seen.”

“[I am] grateful to be a cog in the wheel of a piece that makes us believe in magic, grateful to have experienced a dream come true, and deeply deeply grateful for this unbelievable recognition,” she wrote in her Instagram post.

She also congratulated Grande on her first Oscar nomination.

“To my sister, [Ariana], what a joy it is to be here with you watching as you ascend and amaze and become the actress you were meant to be,” Erivo said.

She went on, “Congratulations first-time nominee, I’m so so proud of you!! There is no one in the world I would have wanted to do this with more than you.”

Full list of nominees

Leading the 97th Oscars nominees is the Spanish musical film “Emilia Pérez,” scoring 13 nominations including Best Picture and Best Director for Jacques Audiard. 

Following closely is the epic period drama movie “The Brutalist,” which also got 10 nominations.

Hosted by Conan O’Brien, the 2025 Academy Awards will be held on March 2 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will air on ABC.

Here is the complete list of the nominees:

Nominees for Best Picture

• “Anora”
• “The Brutalist”
• “A Complete Unknown”
• “Conclave”
• “Dune: Part Two”
• “Emilia Pèrez”
• “I’m Still Here”
• “Nickel Boys”
• “The Substance”
• “Wicked”

Nominees for Directing

• Sean Baker of “Anora”
• Brady Corbet of “The Brutalist”
• James Mangold of “A Complete Unknown”
• Jacques Audiard of “Emilia Pèrez”
• Coralie Fargeat of “The Substance”

Nominees for Actress in a Leading Role

• Cynthia Erivo of “Wicked”
• Karla Sofía Gascón of “Emilia Pèrez”
• Mikey Madison of “Anora”
• Demi Moore of “The Substance”
• Fernanda Torres of “I’m Still Here”

Nominees for Actor in a Leading Role

• Adrien Brody of “The Brutalist”
• Timothée Chalamet of “A Complete Unknown”
• Colman Domingo of “Sing Sing”
• Ralph Fiennes of “Conclave”
• Sebastian Stan of “The Apprentice”

Nominees for Cinematography

• “The Brutalist”
• “Dune: Part Two”
• “Emilia Pèrez”
• “Maria”
• “Nosferatu”

Nominees for Visual Effects

• “Alien: Romulus”
• “Better Man”
• “Dune: Part Two”
• “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
• “Wicked”

Nominees for Sound

• “A Complete Unknown”
• “Dune: Part Two”
• “Emilia Pèrez”
• “Wicked”
• “The Wild Robot”

Nominees for Film Editing

• “Anora”
• “The Brutalist”
• “Conclave”
• “Emilia Pèrez”
• “Wicked”

Nominees for Production Design

• “The Brutalist”
• “Conclave”
• “Dune: Part Two”
• “Nosferatu”
• “Wicked”

Nominees for Animated Feature Film

• “Flow”
• “Inside Out 2”
• “Memoir of a Snail”
• “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”
• “The Wild Robot”

Nominees for International Feature Film

• “I’m Still Here” from Brazil
• “The Girl with the Needle” from Denmark
• “Emilia Pèrez” from France
• “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” from Germany
• “Flow” from Latvia

Nominees for Documentary Short Film

• “Death by Numbers”
• “I Am Ready, Warden”
• “Incident”
• “Instruments of a Beating Heart”
• “The Only Girl in the Orchestra”

Nominees for Documentary Feature Film

• “Black Box Diaries”
• “No Other Land”
• “Porcelain War”
• “Soundtrack to a Coup D’ Etat”
• “Sugarcane”

Nominees for Original Song

• “El Mal” from “Emilia Pèrez”
• “The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight”
• “Like a Bird” from “Sing Sing”
• “Mi Camino” from “Emilia Pèrez”
• “Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late”

Nominees for Actress in a Supporting Role

• Monica Barbaro of “A Complete Unknown”
• Ariana Grande of “Wicked”
• Felicity Jones of “The Brutalist”
• Isabella Rossellini of “Conclave”
• Zoe Saldaña of “Emilia Pèrez”

Nominees for Actor in a Supporting Role

• Yura Borisov of “Anora”
• Kieran Culkin of “A Real Pain”
• Edward Norton of “A Complete Unknown”
• Guy Pearce of “The Brutalist”
• Jeremy Strong of “The Apprentice”

Nominees for Original Screenplay

• “Anora”
• “The Brutalist”
• “A Real Pain”
• “September 5”
• “The Substance”

Nominees for Adapted Screenplay

• “A Complete Unknown”
• “Conclave”
• “Emilia Pèrez”
• “Nickel Boys”
• “Sing Sing”

Nominees for Animated Short Film

• “Beautiful Men”
• “In the Shadow of the Cypress”
• “Magic Candies”
• “Wander to Wonder”
• “Yuck!”

Nominees for Live Action Short Film

• “A Lien”
• “Anuja”
• “I’m Not a Robot”
• “The Last Ranger”
• “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”

Nominees for Original Score

• “The Brutalist”
• “Conclave”
• “Emilia Pèrez”
• “Wicked”
• “The Wild Robot”

Nominees for Makeup and Hairstyling

• “A Different Man”
• “Emilia Pèrez”
• “Nosferatu”
• “The Substance”
• “Wicked”

Nominees for Costume Design

• “A Complete Unknown”
• “Conclave”
• “Gladiator II”
• “Nosferatu”
• “Wicked”