The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are the biggest night in the movie industry calendar and Racing Post's Phil Agius has picked out his three early best bets for the event at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on 2nd March.
Conclave to win Best Picture - 7/1
After Oppenheimer stole the show at the 2024 Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best Director (Christopher Nolan), Best Actor (Cillian Murphy) and Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr) among its seven awards, the 2025 version of the annual movie jamboree looks more wide open.
There's something of a surprise favourite for Best Picture, with Anora heading the market ahead of The Brutalist, but neither of those would be typical winners.
Anora is a hugely enjoyable but quirky dark comedy about a feisty sex worker who marries the son of an oligarch. It's a cracking caper with some hilarious scenes but far from an obvious candidate to land the most prestigious award at a major ceremony.
The Brutalist, the story of architect László Tóth, weighs in at a hefty three hours 35 minutes and won't be to everyone's taste.
Wicked comes next in the betting and while the musical spin-off from the Wizard of Oz universe is well produced it's hardly ground-breaking fare and Barbie, which was aimed at a similar market, barely made an impression at the Oscars last year.
Conclave has more gravitas than Anora and Wicked and is much more enjoyable than The Brutalist, which could be the right mix to win over the Academy voters.
It features a fantastic cast led by Ralph Fiennes, supported by Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini, and centres around the twists and turns of the race to elect a new pope.
Brilliantly shot and gripping throughout, Conclave has more than a prayer of landing the Best Picture award.
Nicole Kidman to win Best Actress - 10/1
The Best Actress category is fiercely contested this year and Anora star Mikey Madison is a strong favourite, but the worry for favourite backers is that winners at the Oscars rarely strike at their first attempt and at just 25, Madison would be the youngest winner for some time.
2024 winner Emma Stone was 35 when she won and her success followed the even more mature Michelle Yeoh, Jessica Chastain, Frances McDormand, Renee Zellweger and Olivia Colman.
Nicole Kidman was 35 when she won the award for The Hours in 2003 and 22 years later she looks to have a strong chance again for her daring part in Babygirl.
The esteemed actress plays a corporate CEO who gets involved in a kinky relationship with a much younger intern. The erotic thriller has just been released in the United States and hits UK cinemas next week and the well-funded launch and awards campaign could see Kidman's double-figure odds shorten considerably.
Ralph Fiennes to win Best Actor - 9/4
The Academy voters often appear included to reward actors for an impressive body of work and veteran British actor Ralph Fiennes is one of the most respected performers in the business yet to taste Oscars success.
He has a strong chance this year for his tremendous role as Cardinal Lawrence, the lead in Conclave, which sees him run a wide range of emotions as his faith, character and instincts are tested in the high-stakes religious thriller.
Fiennes was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 1993 for his role in Schindler's List and received a Best Actor nomination for The English Patient three years later.
He is second favourite to Adrien Brody of The Brutalist, but that movie could divide voters and Fiennes' strongest challenge could come from Timothee Chalomet for his portrayal of folk legend Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.
Anora - 13/8
The Brutalist - 7/4
Wicked - 9/2
Emilia Perez - 6/1
Conclave - 7/1
Sing Sing - 8/1
Dune - Part Two - 9/1
A Complete Unknown - 14/1
Nickel Boys - 16/1
The Room Next Door - 20/1
View the full market and more odds for the 97th Academy Awards 2025 on site
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.