Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
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2025 Oscars Predictions:
Best Film Editing
Paramount
Weekly Commentary (Updated Oct. 3, 2024): With “A Real Pain” clocking in at 88 minutes and “September 5” at 91 minutes, the brevity of these films stands in stark contrast to last year’s record-breaking nominations, where two three-hour movies were nominated for best picture (“Killers of the Flower Moon” and eventual winner “Oppenheimer”). This raises the question: could AMPAS’ attention spans be shifting toward shorter, longer movies, or will they find themselves loving quick and effective breezy movie-watching?
Historically, longer films have had a notable presence in the Film Editing category, with their extensive runtime offering editors more opportunities to showcase their skills in maintaining narrative flow, pacing, and tension. Films like “The Irishman” (209 minutes) and “Dances with Wolves” (181 minutes) were praised for their editing, despite their length. However, shorter films, by their very nature, often require more concise, efficient storytelling, which can be just as challenging to edit. Could the branch seek to reward some of those movies this year?
While long epics (i.e., “Ben Hur” and “Titanic”) are admired for their ambitious scope, the Academy’s attention may lean toward more focused, concise storytelling. This year, “The Brutalist,” “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” and the still unseen “Wicked” are the major contenders, clocking in at more than two and a half hours. Maybe it all doesn’t matter in the end.
The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2. The full rankings are below. All movie listings, titles, distributors, and credited producers are not final and are subject to change.
** denotes the film is not yet dated or can open in 2025.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. And the Predicted Nominees Are
Rank Performer & Film 1 “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures) — Sam Restivo, Claire Simpson 2 “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) — Joe Walker 3 “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix) — Juliette Welfling 4 “The Brutalist” (A24) — Dávid Jancsó 5 “Anora” (Neon) — Sean Baker Oscars: Best Film Editing (Variety Awards Circuit Predictions) 
Image Credit: Apple TV+ Next in Line
Rank Performer & Film 6 “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures) — Andrew Buckland 7 “Conclave” (Focus Features) — Nick Emerson 8 “Blitz” (Apple Original Films) — Peter Sciberras 9 “September 5” (Paramount Pictures) — Hansjörg Weißbrich 10 “Saturday Night” (Sony Pictures) — Nathan Orloff, Shane Reid Oscars: Best Film Editing (Variety Awards Circuit Predictions) 
Image Credit: Sony Pictures Other Contenders
Rank Performer & Film 11 “The Room Next Door” (Sony Pictures Classics) — Teresa Font 12 “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (Neon) — Andrew Bird 13 “Here” (Sony Pictures) — Jesse Goldsmith 14 “Sing Sing” (A24) — Parker Laramie 15 “Challengers” (Amazon MGM) — Marco Costa 16 “Wicked” (Universal Pictures) — Myron Kerstein 17 “A Real Pain” (Searchlight Pictures) — Robert Nassau 18 “The Piano Lesson” (Netflix) — Leslie Jones 19 “The Substance” (Mubi) — Coralie Fargeat, Jérôme Eltabet, Valentin Feron 20 “The Bikeriders” (Focus Features) — Julie Monroe Oscars: Best Adapted Screenplay (Variety Awards Circuit Predictions) Eligible Artisans (Best Film Editing)
Image Credit: Screenshot courtesy Neon/YouTube ** This list is incomplete and not yet finalized. Not all films have distribution or release dates. All are subject to change.
More Information (Oscars: Best Film Editing)
Image Credit: Michael Buckner for Variety 2024 category winner: “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures) — Jennifer Lame
2024-2025 Oscars Calendar and Timeline (all dates are subject to change)
- Eligibility period: Jan. 1, 2024 – Dec. 31, 2024
- General entry, best picture, RAISE submission deadline: Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024
- Governors Awards: Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024
- Preliminary voting begins Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, at 9 a.m. PT.
- Preliminary voting ends Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at 5 p.m. PT.
- Oscar Shortlists Announcement: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024
- Eligibility period ends: Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024
- Nominations voting begins Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, at 9 a.m. PT.
- Nominations voting ends Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, at 5 p.m. PT.
- Oscar Nominations Announcement: Friday, Jan. 17, 2025
- Oscar Nominees Luncheon: Monday, Feb. 10, 2025
- Final voting begins Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at 9 a.m. PT
- Final voting ends: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at 5 p.m. PT
- Scientific and Technical Awards: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025
- 97th Oscars: Sunday, March 2, 2025
Oscars Prediction Categories
2024 Oscar Predictions (Variety Awards Circuit) About the Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners have been selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Seventeen branches are represented within the nearly 10,000-person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.
