While it’s impossible to say that any particular year was objectively “better” than another in terms of the films that were released, the Best Picture lineup is a great place to start.The Oscarstypically nominate a fairly proportionate mix of critically acclaimed indie pictures and culturally relevant blockbusters, with this year’s nominees ranging fromI’m Still HeretoWicked. Though half of the fun of awards season comes frompredicting the winners of the Oscars, it’s also great for reflecting on the quality of the film year that’s passed.
2024 was a relatively strong year for film, and the Best Picture lineup clearly represents that. While some great movies were notably missing (Sing Sing,A Real Pain, etc.), it’s a fairly exhaustive list of thebest movies of 2024. However, when compared with last year’s lineup, it becomes clear that 2023 was even stronger. Movies likeOppenheimerandPast Liveshad an enormous impact on the cultural consciousness, and it’s hard to find quite as many movies in this year’s Best Picture lineup 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 extremely reputable site that’s very useful for gauging how critics and audiences both responded to any particular film, and their aggregate scores allow for a much more holistic interpretation of which year was “best”. In 2024, the Best Picture lineup had an average RT score of 91.9%, with exactly five movies sitting at 93%.This was among the strongest years in recent memory, and there were no films that dipped any lower than 75%. Every Best Picture nominee was considered “fresh.”
Every Horror Movie Nominated For Best Picture, Ranked Worst To Best
From The Exorcist to The Substance, some of the greatest horror movies ever made have been recognized with a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars.
This year, the average RT score of the Best Picture nominees is slightly lower, sitting at just 88.5%. Naturally, this is still a great score for any given film - but when talking about the supposedbestfilms of the year,one would imagine this number to be slightly higher. However, much of this score comes down to one or two films that drag the average down - otherwise, the nominees 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 film with the highest RT score of both years' Best Picture lineups wasn’t even close to winning the category. Alexander Payne’sThe Holdoversis a bittersweet, charming holiday dramathat follows a group of young students and their mundane teacher who are forced to spend the Christmas season together at a prestigious boarding school. While their dynamic is initially strained, protagonists Angus Tully and Paul Hunham develop a strong bond and learn from each other about the spirit of Christmas.The Holdoversbecame extremely popular on streaming, despite not getting the praise it deserved at the Oscars.
Payne’s drama currently sits at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the highest-rated film on both Best Picture lineups.
Payne’s drama currently sits at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the highest-rated film on both Best Picture lineups. It narrowly beats this year’s surprise inclusionI’m Still Here, which has 96%. Ironically, the two films couldn’t be more different. The latter is a dark, harrowing drama about a grieving mother whose husband is taken away for questioning by the Brazilian military dictatorship. It’s an incredibly emotional film that relies on its staggering lead performance by Fernanda Torres to suck the audience into this tragic tale of loss and sacrifice.
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 lists with an RT score of just 73%. This makes it the lowest-rated Best Picture nominee in several years, and it’s easy to understand why. Despite the critical acclaim thatEmilia Perezinitially received,it’s come under immense fire in recent monthsfor its problematic depiction of both Mexican culture and the transgender experience, both of which play huge roles in the narrative.
Interestingly,Emilia Perez’s disappointing RT score didn’t prevent it from being the nomination leader at this year’s Academy Awards. With 13 nominations, Audiard’s film was the undeniable standout of the category, rivalingOppenheimer’s tally from last year.The industry’s love forEmilia Perezis very confusinggiven the film’s poor reception among general audiences - in fact,the RT Audience Score for the film is only 18%,which ranks among the worst 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 key metric 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 year’s lowest-rated movieMaestro.The numbers certainly don’t lean in the year’s favor, and that could help explain another unique aspect of this year’s awards 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 nominee could win the category.
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Emilia Perez
73%
This certainly wasn’t the case last year, whereOppenheimerwas considered the favorite long before the ceremony began. 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 Oscars respectively. That same passion just doesn’t exist this year.2025’s award season has been plagued with controversy, and it seems much more difficult for voters to choose a particular film 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 subject to controversy over the past months.The Brutalistcame under fire for its alleged use of AI, and Anora was the subject of discourse regarding its lack of intimacy coordinator. Combined with the problematic industry love forEmilia Perez,this makes it extremely difficult for voters to decidewhich film deserves that top award atThe Oscars.
