Vampire thriller 'Sinners' makes Oscars history with record 16 nominations

By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Vampire thriller “Sinners” stormed into Oscars history on Thursday with a record 16 nominations, positioning the Warner Bros film as the frontrunner for best picture and pitting star Michael B. Jordan against Timothee Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio as rivals for best actor. "Sinners," a celebration of blues music and Black culture in the Segregation-era U.S. South, will face off against "One Battle After Another," "Frankenstein," "Hamnet," "Marty Supreme" and more for the coveted best picture prize.  The previous record for most nominations was 14, a mark hit by "All About Eve," "Titanic" and "La La Land." "Bugonia," "F1," "The Secret Agent," "Sentimental Value" and "Train Dreams" also were nominated for this year's best picture trophy at the highest honors in the movie business. Together, the nominations span genres – from historical drama to supernatural horror – and reflect a film academy increasingly willing to reward unconventional storytelling. A handful of nominees also are commercial hits, which could help boost viewership for the March 15th Oscars ceremony.  Jordan was nominated for best actor for his dual role in "Sinners" as twin brothers who set up a juke joint in 1930s Mississippi, triggering a bloody gangsters vs. vampires showdown that serves as an allegory for segregation and racism. The Warner Bros film also earned nominations for director Ryan Coogler, supporting actor Delroy Lindo, supporting actress Wunmi Mosaku and cinematography, costume design, original screenplay and visual effects. Jordan's competition includes Leonardo DiCaprio in offbeat action movie "One Battle After Another," which scored 13 nominations, and Timothee Chalamet in table tennis tale "Marty Supreme."  Paul Thomas Anderson earned a nomination for directing "One Battle After Another," which features DiCaprio as a one-time radical turned weed-smoking father of a teenager. Co-stars Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Teyana Taylor were nominated in supporting categories. "My career has been filled with battles, doubts, and moments of deep uncertainty," Taylor said in a statement. "It has felt like one long fight for space, for respect, and for opportunity. But today feels like a gentle reminder that dreams really do survive."  For best actress, Jessie Buckley was nominated for playing William Shakespeare's wife, Agnes Hathaway, in "Hamnet," and Kate Hudson for "Song Sung Blue," the story of a Neil Diamond tribute band.  Chloe Zhao, one of only three women to win best director in the 97 Oscar ceremonies to date, for "Nomadland," landed a nomination for "Hamnet." The film imagines how Shakespeare's family dealt with the death of their 11-year-old son, whose name was Hamnet. Historians believe Hamnet's death inspired the playwright to pen the play "Hamlet."  Paul Mescal, who earned critical praise for his role as Shakespeare, did not receive an Oscar nomination. COUNTDOWN TO MARCH 15TH CEREMONY Winners of the gold Oscar statuettes will be chosen by the roughly 10,000 actors, producers, directors and film craftspeople who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Walt Disney's ABC will broadcast the awards and stream them on Hulu, and comedian Conan O'Brien will host for the second straight year.  Warner Bros Discovery, the studio subject to a bidding war between Netflix and Paramount Skydance, led all studios with 30 nominations.  Netflix has never won best picture despite nominations for "Roma," "Emilia Perez" and "The Irishman." It has a chance this year with Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein," which earned nine nominations, and "Train Dreams." The streaming service releases its movies in theaters for only a limited time to qualify them for awards consideration. Global phenomenon "KPop Demon Hunters," also from Netflix, was nominated for best animated feature and original song for "Golden." Two best picture contenders are non-English language films. They are Norwegian family drama "Sentimental Value" and Brazilian political thriller "The Secret Agent." "Sentimental Value" star Stellan Skarsgard said the recognition will boost awareness of a film without a multi-million-dollar advertising budget. "We are depending on the awards and festivals to get it out, so I'm glad it will get out there," he said. The movie has collected $16 million at global box offices, compared with $368 million for "Sinners" and $206 million for "One Battle After Another."  The highest-grossing best picture nominee is Brad Pitt racing drama "F1," with nearly $632 million in worldwide ticket sales. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine;Additional reporting by Danielle Broadway;Editing by Nick Zieminski)

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