Oscars Shortlists (and Those Pesky Critics) Shake Things Up

The pre-holiday scramble has hit Hollywood, with Critics Choice Award nominations and Oscar shortlists (in 10 categories) rolling in before the awards machine shuts down until 2025. Emilia Pérez remains the belle of the ball, with its 100 points from Critics Choice noms and an extra 30 points for making six of the Academy’s shortlists bolstering its totals. But its all eyes on the box office for the remainder of the year. Mufasa and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 are battling it out this weekend, and the threesome of Nosferatu, Babygirl, and A Complete Unknown will be hitting the multiplexes on Christmas Day. Talk about a festive triple feature.

Questions? Need help? You can email us at [email protected].

Updated December 18, 2024

The window to participate in this year’s league is now closed, but we’re leaving the rules here for posterity.

The Films: We made a list of movies from 2024 — some already released, most still to come — and assigned them a dollar value based on how formidable they are projected to be in the various scoring categories.

Your Roster: You have a budget of $100 in fake dollars to build a team of eight movies. This will be your roster for the game. There is no substituting, even if a movie release gets rescheduled to next year.

Results: Each week starting Monday, October 7, the updated leaderboard will be available on this page and in the weekly MFL newsletter. Once the game has concluded following the 97th Oscars on March 2, 2025, prize winners will be notified within one week of the ceremony. In the event of ties, questions included on the draft ballot will determine the final order.

The Limit: Just one entry per email address. You can’t change your team once it has been submitted.

The Podcast Division: Dozens of our favorite culture-podcast hosts and producers are competing in a subset of the MFL to prove who has the superior awards-season expertise, box-office clairvoyance, and drafting savvy. When the leaderboard is live, you’ll be able to filter to see how the various podcasters are faring against each other. At the end of the season, the winner will receive an ostentatious championship belt because why not?

Mini-Leagues: You can play against a set of friends in a mini-league. Have everyone in your crew enter the same league name on the ballot when you each register, and then you’ll be able to filter the standings to see how everyone in your group is doing. There will also be mini-leagues associated with most of the shows participating in the Podcast Division; All of the participating podcasts can be found in our announcement post. But note: You can only participate in one mini-league, so that may means choosing between your friends and family and your favorite podcast.

See the complete Official Rules.

Oh, look, it’s an array of fantastic prizes. The top-20 teams on the leaderboard will receive a digital subscription to New York, plus:

The overall winner will get to select one of the following devices:

Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Retailers

➼ A 65-inch Roku Plus Series 4K TV
➼ A Roku Streambar SE
➼ Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 Wireless Earbuds

Whoever finishes second will get to choose between the remaining two, and third place will get the final item. You can’t go wrong.

We know you’ve always wanted a Sam Quint mini-figure, and now that reality is just a fourth- or fifth-place finish away. This 1,497-piece set also includes Chief Brody, Matt Hooper, and, of course, a giant shark. You’re gonna need a bigger shelf.

Photo: Photo: Criterion Channel

Everyone that finishes in the top ten will receive a yearlong subscription to the Criterion Channel’s streaming library. This is as close as most of us will get to being in a closet with Zoë Kravitz.

Everyone that finishes in the top 20 will receive a yearlong MoviePass subscription, which will allow you to see up to four movies per month in theaters. What better way to start prepping for the 2025–26 MFL season?

Once your roster is selected, you will earn points in three categories:

Movies will only be eligible for box-office points if they are released on or after October 4 (after the draft window closes). Points will be awarded in the following manner (based on Box Office Mojo):

Every $1 million earned: 1 point
Clears $25 million: 10-point bonus
Clears $50 million: 15-point bonus
Clears $75 million: 15-point bonus
Clears $100 million: 20-point bonus
Clears $125 million: 15-point bonus
Clears $150 million: 15-point bonus
Clears $175 million: 15-point bonus
Clears $200 million: 25-point bonus
Reaches No. 1 at the domestic box office: 20 points per week spent at No. 1

Last year, you began accumulating box-office points as soon as you submitted your team. We’ve done away with that this year. Now there’s a single start date: If a movie opens on or after October 4, it’s eligible to earn box-office points. If it opened before that date, it’s ineligible to earn box-office points. Keep that in mind when you’re drafting: Those September movies that may still be in theaters when the game begins won’t get you a box-office boost.

We’ve also bumped up the value of box-office performance. This year, for every $1 million a movie brings in, it earns one point. A $4 million indie? Four points. A $250 million blockbuster? 250 points. There are more, and bigger, bonuses for clearing certain box office thresholds, and a film being No. 1 at the box office for a given week earns you 20 points now.

Similar to the boosted box office, we’ve doubled the bounty of points that a movie can earn on its critical reception, giving a little more juice to those indie flicks that may not be rewarded at the box office or by major award bodies. Points will be awarded in the following manner (based on the Rotten Tomatoes “Critics Score”):

0–25 percent: -5 points
26–45 percent: 0 points
46–64 percent: 5 points
65–74 percent: 10 points
75–85 percent: 25 points
86–95 percent: 50 points
96–100 percent: 100 points

Rotten Tomatoes points will be awarded all at once on January 7 and will not be adjusted based on subsequent score fluctuations. Only movies that have been released and have a Rotten Tomatoes score at the time of scoring are eligible for Critical Performance points.

Points will be awarded for both awards nominations and wins. This year we’ve added the Gotham Awards, which ought to provide a bump for indie movies, as well as points for various Oscar pre-nomination shortlists. This will tend to be a boon for more technically accomplished movies that get shortlisted in categories like sound, visual effects, and makeup, plus documentaries, international features, and the always surprising Best Original Song. See the calendar below for points associated with each event.

Gotham Awards Nominations
October 29, 2024

Nomination in the following categories: 10 points
➼ Best Screenplay
➼ Breakthrough Director
➼ Breakthrough Performer
➼ Documentary Feature
➼ International Feature

Nomination in the following categories: 15 points
➼ Best Feature
➼ Best Director
➼ Outstanding Lead Performance
➼ Outstanding Supporting Performance

—

AARP Movies for Grownups Awards Nominations
November 20, 2024

Nomination for Best Movie for Grown-ups: 10 points

Nomination in any other category: 5 points

—

Gotham Awards
December 2, 2024

Win in the following categories: 15 points
➼ Best Screenplay
➼ Breakthrough Director
➼ Breakthrough Performer
➼ Documentary Feature
➼ International Feature
➼ Special Category (e.g., Ensemble)

Win in the following categories: 25 points
➼ Best Feature
➼ Best Director
➼ Outstanding Lead Performance
➼ Outstanding Supporting Performance

—

New York Film Critics Circle Awards
December 3, 2024

Win for Best Film: 20 points

Win in the following categories: 10 points
➼ Best Director
➼ Best Actor
➼ Best Actress
➼ Best Supporting Actor
➼ Supporting Actress
➼ Best Screenplay
➼ Best Animated Film
➼ Best Cinematography
➼ Best Nonfiction Film
➼ Best Foreign-Language Film
➼ Best First Film

—

National Board of Review Awards
December 4, 2024

Win for Best Film: 20 points

Earn a spot on the Top 10 Best Films List: 15 points

Win in the following categories: 10 points
➼ Best Director
➼ Best Actor
➼ Best Actress
➼ Best Supporting Actor
➼ Best Supporting Actress
➼ Best Screenplay
➼ Best Cinematography
➼ Best Editing
➼ Best Production Design
➼ Best Music Score
➼ Best International Film
➼ Best Documentary/Nonfiction Film
➼ Best Animation
➼ Top 5 Foreign Films
➼ Top 5 Documentaries
➼ Top 10 Independent Films
➼ NBR Freedom of Expression

—

Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations
December 4, 2024

Nomination in the following categories: 5 points
➼ First Feature
➼ First Screenplay
➼ Documentary Feature
➼ International Feature
➼ Cinematography
➼ Editing
➼ John Cassavetes Award

Nomination in the following categories: 15 points
➼ Best Feature
➼ Best Director
➼ Best Lead Performance
➼ Best Supporting Performance
➼ Best Breakthrough Performance
➼ Best Screenplay

—

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
December 8, 2024

Win for Best Film: 20 points

Win in the following categories: 10 points
➼ Best Director
➼ Best Lead Performance
➼ Best Supporting Performance
➼ Best Original Screenplay
➼ Best Adapted Screenplay
➼ Best Animated Feature
➼ Breakthrough Performance
➼ Best Directorial Debut
➼ Best Foreign-Language Film
➼ Best Documentary
➼ Best Ensemble
➼ Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography

—

Golden Globe Awards Nominations
December 9, 2024

Nomination for Best Picture (Drama, Musical/Comedy): 20 points

Nomination in the following categories: 15 points
➼ Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
➼ Best Director
➼ Best Actor, Drama
➼ Best Actress, Drama
➼ Best Actor, Musical/Comedy
➼ Best Actress, Musical/Comedy
➼ Best Supporting Actor
➼ Best Supporting Actress
➼ Best Screenplay
➼ Best Foreign Film
➼ Best Animated Feature
➼ Best Score
➼ Best Song

—

Critics’ Choice Awards Nominations
December 12, 2024

Nomination in the following categories: 15 points
➼ Best Picture
➼ Best Director
➼ Best Actor
➼ Best Actress
➼ Best Supporting Actor
➼ Best Supporting Actress
➼ Best Original Screenplay
➼ Best Adapted Screenplay

Nomination in the following categories: 5 points
➼ Young Actor/Actress
➼ Acting Ensemble
➼ Cinematography
➼ Editing
➼ Costume Design
➼ Production Design
➼ Score
➼ Song
➼ Hair/Makeup
➼ Visual Effects
➼ Animated Feature
➼ Comedy Feature
➼ Foreign-Language Film

—

Oscar Shortlists
December 17, 2024

Placement on any Oscar shortlist: 5 points

—

National Society of Film Critics Awards
January 4, 2025

Win for Best Picture: 20 points

Win in the following categories: 10 points
➼ Best Director
➼ Best Actor
➼ Best Actress
➼ Best Supporting Actor
➼ Best Supporting Actress
➼ Best Screenplay
➼ Best Cinematography

—

Golden Globe Awards
January 5, 2025

Win in Best Picture: 35 points

Win in the following categories: 25 points
➼ Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
➼ Best Director
➼ Best Actor, Drama
➼ Best Actress, Drama
➼ Best Actor, Musical/Comedy
➼ Best Actress, Musical/Comedy
➼ Best Supporting Actor
➼ Best Supporting Actress
➼ Best Screenplay
➼ Best Foreign Film
➼ Best Animated Feature
➼ Best Score
➼ Best Song

—

Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations
January 8, 2025

Nomination in Best Ensemble Cast: 25 points

Nomination in the following categories: 20 points
➼ Best Male Actor
➼ Best Female Actor
➼ Best Supporting Male Actor
➼ Best Supporting Female Actor

Nomination in any other category: 5 points

—

Directors Guild Awards Nominations
January 8, 2025

Nomination in any category: 15 points

—

Writers Guild Awards Nominations
January 9, 2025

Nomination in any category: 10 points

—

Producers Guild Awards Nominations
January 10, 2025 (Documentary nominations December 10, 2024)

Nomination in any category: 15 points

—

AARP Movies for Grownups Awards
January 11, 2025

Win for Best Movie for Grownups: 20 points

Win in any other category: 10 points

—

Critics’ Choice Awards
January 12, 2025

Win in the following categories: 25 points
➼ Best Picture
➼ Best Director
➼ Best Actor
➼ Best Actress
➼ Best Supporting Actor
➼ Best Supporting Actress
➼ Best Original Screenplay
➼ Best Adapted Screenplay

Win in the following categories: 10 points
➼ Young Actor/Actress
➼ Acting Ensemble
➼ Cinematography
➼ Editing
➼ Costume Design
➼ Production Design
➼ Score
➼ Song
➼ Hair/Makeup
➼ Visual Effects
➼ Animated Feature
➼ Comedy Feature
➼ Foreign-Language Film

—

BAFTA Awards Nominations
January 15, 2025

Nomination in the following categories: 20 points
➼ Best Picture
➼ Best Director
➼ Best Actor
➼ Best Actress
➼ Best Supporting Actor
➼ Best Supporting Actress
➼ Best Original Screenplay
➼ Best Adapted Screenplay

Nomination in the following categories: 10 points
➼ British Film
➼ British Debut
➼ Animated Film
➼ Documentary Film
➼ Film Not in the English Language
➼ Casting
➼ Cinematography
➼ Editing
➼ Costume Design
➼ Production Design
➼ Original Score
➼ Hair/Makeup
➼ Special Visual Effects
➼ Sound

—

Oscar Nominations
January 17, 2025

Nomination in Best Picture: 50 points

Nomination in the following categories: 25 points
➼ Best Director
➼ Best Actor
➼ Best Actress
➼ Best Supporting Actor
➼ Best Supporting Actress
➼ Best Original Screenplay
➼ Best Adapted Screenplay
➼ Best Animated Feature
➼ Best Documentary Feature
➼ Best International Feature

Nomination in the following categories: 15 points
➼ Best Cinematography
➼ Best Costume Design
➼ Best Production Design
➼ Best Hair/Makeup
➼ Best Sound
➼ Best Visual Effects
➼ Best Film Editing
➼ Best Original Song
➼ Best Original Score

—

Directors Guild Awards
February 8, 2025

Win in any category: 30 points

—

Producers Guild Awards
February 8, 2025

Win in any category: 30 points

—

Writers Guild Awards
February 15, 2025

Win in any category: 20 points

—

BAFTA Awards
February 16, 2025

Win in the following categories: 35 points
➼ Best Picture
➼ Best Director
➼ Best Actor
➼ Best Actress
➼ Best Supporting Actor
➼ Best Supporting Actress
➼ Best Original Screenplay
➼ Best Adapted Screenplay

Win in the following categories: 20 points
➼ British Film
➼ British Debut
➼ Animated Film
➼ Documentary Film
➼ Film Not in the English Language
➼ Casting
➼ Cinematography
➼ Editing
➼ Costume Design
➼ Production Design
➼ Original Score
➼ Hair/Makeup
➼ Special Visual Effects
➼ Sound

—

Film Independent Spirit Awards
February 22, 2025

Win in the following categories: 25 points
➼ Best Feature
➼ Best Director
➼ Best Lead Performance
➼ Best Supporting Performance
➼ Best Breakthrough Performance
➼ Best Screenplay

Win in the following categories: 10 points
➼ First Feature
➼ First Screenplay
➼ Documentary Feature
➼ International Feature
➼ Cinematography
➼ Editing
➼ John Cassavetes Award
➼ Robert Altman Award

—

Screen Actors Guild Awards
February 23, 2025

Win in Best Ensemble Cast: 50 points

Win in the following categories: 35 points
➼ Best Male Actor
➼ Best Female Actor
➼ Best Supporting Male Actor
➼ Best Supporting Female Actor

Win in any other category: 10 points

—

The Oscars
March 2, 2025

Win in Best Picture: 100 points

Win in the following categories: 75 points
➼ Best Director
➼ Best Actor
➼ Best Actress
➼ Best Supporting Actor
➼ Best Supporting Actress
➼ Best Original Screenplay
➼ Best Adapted Screenplay
➼ Best Animated Feature
➼ Best Documentary Feature
➼ Best International Feature

Win in the following categories: 50 points
➼ Best Cinematography
➼ Best Costume Design
➼ Best Production Design
➼ Best Hair/Makeup
➼ Best Sound
➼ Best Visual Effects
➼ Best Film Editing
➼ Best Original Song
➼ Best Original Score