Oscars 2025: five major records that could be broken
It’s that time of year again when the Academy Awards come to town, and cinephiles all over the world place their bets on what will happen at the glitzy ceremony. From shocking snubs to historic wins, the Oscars never fail to deliver a night filled with surprises, impassioned speeches, and viral moments that dominate the cultural conversation for weeks.
The Oscars have had a spotty track record in recent years of attempting to expand its horizons in terms of the movies nominated while also doing whatever it can to ensure viewers actually watch the show. Naturally, though, as with any batch of nominees, some have been celebrated, others have been criticised, and a few have become embroiled in the kind of controversy that overshadows everything. Whether it’s debates over representation, unexpected snubs, or a brewing rivalry between two major films, there’s always something to dissect in the lead-up to the big night.
Regardless of what anyone thinks about the virtues or drawbacks of the nominees, though, they have certainly thrown up an intriguing set of possibilities. Everyone loves Oscar trivia and discovering which stars and films have set records – and at the Oscars 2025, there are a ton of records that could potentially be broken. Could a first-time nominee make history? Will a director finally achieve long-overdue recognition? The possibilities are endless, and film fans everywhere are eager to see how it all unfolds.
This article will highlight five major records that stand a chance of being broken on the biggest night in the Hollywood calendar. Start placing your bets now.
Five major records that could be broken at the Oscars in 2025:
Most Oscars won by a single film in one night
Ever since it was nominated for 13 Oscars, controversy has swirled around Emilia Pérez. Whether people were criticising the film’s depiction of Mexico, its transgender representation, or the troubling historic tweets made by trans star Karla Sofía Gascón, Jacques Audiard’s musical has been on everyone’s lips. Unfortunately for the director and fellow nominee Zoe Saldaña, thanks to these flashpoints, very little of that talk has been positive.
Still, one thing that can’t be taken away is that, despite the negativity around the film, it could still break one of the most significant records in Academy Award history on the night. After all, three movies have previously won 11 Oscars in a single night—Ben-Hur, Titanic, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King— and Emilia Pérez could feasibly beat that to become the biggest winner in Oscar history.
While it seems like the lightning rod film has every chance of exiting the night without a single win, it also wouldn’t be that surprising for the Academy to double down on a movie it rewarded with a record number of nominations. Maybe this will be Emilia Pérez’s night, after all?
Most Oscar wins by one person in a single night
The Florida Project and Red Rocket director Sean Baker has been on the rise in Hollywood for the last decade, and Anora has been his biggest hit so far in critical and commercial terms. The racy comedy-drama about the marriage of a sex worker and the son of a Russian oligarch has captured the imaginations of audiences, critics, and Academy voters alike.
When nominations were announced, Baker discovered he would be vying for glory in four categories: ‘Best Picture,’ ‘Best Director,’ ‘Best Original Screenplay,’ and ‘Best Film Editing.’ These nominations mean he has the chance to be the first person to tie a record set more than 70 years ago by none other than Walt Disney.
In 1953, Disney won four Oscars in a single night, taking home ‘Best Documentary (Feature)’, ‘Best Documentary (Short Subject)’, ‘Best Short Subject (Cartoon)’, and ‘Best Short Subject (Two-reel)’. None of those categories exist any more, and Baker’s nominations are in some of the most prestigious modern categories, so his achievement would arguably be even more impressive if it was to come to pass.
Youngest star to win ‘Best Actor’
Timothée Chalamet could become the youngest actor to win an Oscar in the ‘Best Actor in a Leading Role’ category. The young star already has a significant history with the Academy Awards, having been nominated for ‘Best Actor’ seven years ago for Call Me By Your Name. He has also appeared in several ‘Best Picture’ nominees, including Lady Bird, Dune, and Little Women.
The current recordholder is Adrien Brody, who was 29 years and 11 months old when he won ‘Best Actor’ for The Pianist. If Chalamet was to take home the trophy for his performance as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, he would break Brody’s record by nine months.
Speaking of Brody, he also stands a chance of making history at the Oscars. If he wins ‘Best Actor’ for his performance in The Brutalist, he would join a group of ten stars who have won the biggest acting award in Hollywood two or more times.
First child of an Oscar-winning mother to also win an Oscar
As of this upcoming Oscars ceremony, only one parent and child combination has won acting Academy Awards. That honour belongs to Jon Voight, who won ‘Best Actor’ for Coming Home and his daughter Angelina Jolie, who won ‘Best Supporting Actress’ for Girl, Interrupted.
Isabella Rossellini, who is nominated for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ for her role in Conclave, could become the first daughter to follow her mother into the Oscars history books, though. Her mother is the legendary Hollywood icon Ingrid Bergman, who won three acting Academy Awards.
It’s worth mentioning that while Jane Fonda and her father, Henry Fonda, also both won Oscars for acting, they didn’t do it in the order of parent to child. After all, Jane had already won two ‘Best Actress’ Oscars by the time her father landed ‘Best Actor’ in his final years for On Golden Pond. Similarly, Liza Minnelli winning ‘Best Actress’ for Cabaret followed her mother Judy Garland’s win years earlier, but that was in a special, non-competitive, honorary Juvenile category that no longer exists.
Most nominated individual without a win
Finally, this entry is about someone who will be hoping they can finally put an unwanted Academy Awards record to bed. Acclaimed songwriter Diane Warren is the most nominated person in history to have never actually won an Oscar. She has been nominated 16 times for ‘Best Original Song,’ but has yet to take home one of those prestigious statuettes.
Since her first nomination in 1987 for ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’ from Mannequin, Warren has written nominated tunes such as LeAnn Rimes’ ‘How Do I Live’ from Con Air, Aerosmith’s ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’ from Armageddon, and Faith Hill’s ‘There You’ll Be’ from Pearl Harbour.
The esteemed artist, who is clearly beloved by the Academy, will be hoping that her nomination for penning ‘The Journey,’ performed by HER for Tyler Perry’s The Six Triple Eight, will finally notch that long overdue win.
