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While it ’s impossible to say that any finical year was objectively “ better ” than another in terms of the films that were release , the Best Picture lineup is a great berth to embark on . The Oscarstypically nominate a fairly proportionate mixture of critically acclaimed indie pictures and culturally relevant blockbusters , with this year ’s candidate ranging fromI’m Still HeretoWicked . Though half of the playfulness of award time of year descend frompredicting the victor of the Oscars , it ’s also great for reflecting on the quality of the motion picture year that ’s clear .
2024 was a comparatively hard year for film , and the Best Picture card clearly correspond that . While some great picture show were notably missing ( spill the beans Sing , A Real Pain , etc . ) , it ’s a fairly thoroughgoing inclination of thebest movies of 2024 . However , when compared with last class ’s lineup , it becomes clear that 2023 was even stronger . Movies likeOppenheimerandPast Liveshad an enormous encroachment on the cultural consciousness , and it ’s hard to find quite as many flick in this year ’s Best Picture card with the same level of influence .
The Average Rotten Tomatoes Score Of 2024’s Best Picture Nominees Was Higher
Last Year’s Nominees Were Favored By Critics
Rotten Tomatoes is an passing reputable site that ’s very useful for gauge how critics and audience both react to any particular picture , and their aggregate scores allow for a much more holistic interpretation of which year was “ best ” . In 2024 , the Best Picture lineup had an mean RT score of 91.9 % , with precisely five film sitting at 93%.This was among the strongest years in recent memory board , and there were no film that dip any lower than 75 % . Every Best Picture candidate was considered “ fresh . ”
From The Exorcist to The Substance , some of the great repulsion movies ever made have been recognized with a Best Picture nominating speech at the Oscars .
This class , the modal RT grade of the Best Picture nominees is slightly lower , sitting at just 88.5 % . by nature , this is still a great scotch for any given film - but when talk about the supposedbestfilms of the yr , one would imagine this number to be slightly high . However , much of this score comes down to one or two films that drag the mediocre down - otherwise , the candidate sit comfortably in the 90 - 100 % range .
The Holdovers Has The Highest RT Score Of Both Year’s Lineups
Alexander Payne’s Drama Was A Critical Darling
Interestingly , the picture with the gamy RT scotch of both years ' Best Picture card was n’t even close to winning the category . Alexander Payne’sThe Holdoversis a bittersweet , charming holiday dramathat follow a chemical group of young students and their mundane teacher who are force to spend the Christmas time of year together at a prestigious boarding school . While their dynamic is ab initio strained , protagonist Angus Tully and Paul Hunham develop a strong bond and learn from each other about the spirit of Christmas . The Holdoversbecame super pop on streaming , despite not get the praise it deserve at the Oscars .
Payne ’s drama currently sit around at 97 % on Rotten Tomatoes , making it the highest - rat photographic film on both Best Picture lineups .
Payne ’s drama presently sits at 97 % on Rotten Tomatoes , make it the highest - shop film on both Best Picture lineups . It narrowly thump this year ’s surprisal inclusionI’m Still Here , which has 96 % . Ironically , the two films could n’t be more different . The latter is a non-white , excruciating play about a grieving mother whose married man is taken off for questioning by the Brazilian military dictatorship . It ’s an incredibly aroused film that bank on its staggering lead performance by Fernanda Torres to suck the audience into this tragic story of red ink and forfeiture .
Emilia Perez Brings 2025’s Average Down By A Lot
Jacques Audiard’s Musical Is A Polarizing Inclusion
On the other side of the coin , Jacques Audiard ’s controversial musicalEmilia Perezsits at the bottom of both list with an RT grudge of just 73 % . This make it the lowest - rated Best Picture nominee in several years , and it ’s comfortable to understand why . Despite the critical acclaim thatEmilia Perezinitially received , it ’s get along under immense fire in recent monthsfor its debatable depiction of both Mexican culture and the transgender experience , both of which play huge roles in the narrative .
Interestingly , Emilia Perez ’s disappointing RT grade did n’t forbid it from being the nominating speech loss leader at this year ’s Academy Awards . With 13 nomination , Audiard ’s moving-picture show was the undeniable standout of the class , rivalingOppenheimer ’s tally from last year . The diligence ’s love life forEmilia Perezis very confusinggiven the film ’s poor receipt among general audiences - in fact , the RT Audience Score for the moving-picture show is only 18%,which ranks among the bad ever .
2025’s Lower RT Average Explains The Lack Of A Frontrunner
The Critical Split Could Explain Why This Year’s Oscars Are So Unpredictable
With this central metric unit in mind , it ’s fair to say that 2025 ’s Best Picture lineup is much weaker than 2024 ’s . This year ’s highest - rated film is still lower - rated thanThe Holdoversfrom last year , andEmilia Perezis significantly less popular than last yr ’s lowest - rated movieMaestro . The numbers sure as shooting do n’t lean in the year ’s favor , and that could help excuse another singular panorama of this year ’s honor season - namely , the complete lack of frontrunner among the top contenders for Best Picture . The Oscars are just around the corner , andit still feels like almost any candidate could win the class .
2025 Best Picture Nominees
Rotten Tomatoes Score
I ’m Still Here
96 %
Anora
Custom Image by Ana Nieves
93 %
Conclave
The Brutalist
Dune : Part Two
92 %
Nickel boy
90 %
The Substance
89 %
severe
88 %
A Complete Unknown
80 %
Emilia Perez
73 %
This certainly was n’t the case last year , whereOppenheimerwas considered the favorite long before the ceremonial set out . There was so much passion behind that project that it was almost impossible to bet against it , and that passion carried over into the Best Director and Best Actor categories too , where Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy picked up their first Oscar respectively . That same Passion of Christ just does n’t be this year.2025 ’s award season has been plagued with controversy , and it seems much more difficult for voters to choose a especial picture show to rally around in the same way .
Even the most critically acclaimed films likeThe BrutalistandAnora(which both have excellent RT scores of 93 % ) have been open to controversy over the past months . The Brutalistcame under flame for its alleged use of AI , and Anora was the topic of preaching regarding its deficiency of intimacy coordinator . commingle with the problematic industry love forEmilia Perez , this makes it highly unmanageable for voters to decidewhich film merit that top awarding atThe Oscars .
