If you’re looking for drama when it comes to the major awards at Sunday night’s Oscars … well, you might be better off finding a drama on Netflix.
Virtually all of the main categories are locked down by the sportsbook betting favorites (in states, naturally, where people are allowed to bet on the Academy Awards, which includes New Jersey, Indiana, Michigan, Louisiana, Colorado, Massachusetts, Arizona, and Kansas).
The quick and dirty rundown (with best odds available):
Best Picture: Oppenheimer at -3500 at FanDuel is clearly – wait for it – the bomb.
Best Director: Christopher Nolan for directing Oppenheimer is -4000 at FanDuel and bet365.
Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr. for his role in Oppenheimer is -2400 at FanDuel.
Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph for her role in The Holdovers is -2000 at FanDuel.
These four categories are virtually upset-proof.
Best actor
The best actor category is only slightly less locked down by Cillian Murphy for his role as Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer. His lowest odds are -1000 at DraftKings and Caesars, and those looking to bet Paul Giamatti for his role in The Holdovers can get him at +650 at FanDuel.
“It’s hard to make a case for any major upsets in the top categories: Oppenheimer, Nolan, Cillian Murphy, Downey, and Randolph are all pretty set,” said Christopher Rosen, the digital director for Gold Derby, a news site that specializes in predicting Hollywood races. “I’m sure you can find some people still clinging to Paul Giamatti for the best actor win, but I doubt it considering Murphy has won all the major precursors.”
Best actress and more
In fact, the only drama at the top of the card is sitting with the best actress category, which appears to be a two-woman race between Lily Gladstone for her role in Killers of the Flower Moon and Emma Stone for her turn in Poor Things.
The two of them have see-sawed in the odds markets all season, as they’ve both won other awards in the leadup to the Oscars.
Now, Gladstone has the betting edge heading into the show. Her best odds are at -175 at bet365, and Stone’s best odds are at +190 at Caesars. The one dark horse candidate remains Sandra Huller for her role in Anatomy of a Fall at +4000 at Caesars.
“Best actress remains pretty divided, though it’s hard to make a case for anyone other than Lily Gladstone or Emma Stone,” Rosen said. “I think Gladstone has the edge after winning at the SAG Awards, but Stone won BAFTA, and Poor Things has performed better than Killers of the Flower Moon throughout the season.
“Poor Things also has a chance to win multiple other Oscars besides best actress (production design, costume design, hair and makeup), while Flower Moon can only hope for Gladstone. And yet, Gladstone has the narrative juice, and I think people are just really passionate about her potential win. That’s why I give her the edge.”
In the screenwriting categories, a pair of films that started the awards season deep in plus-odds territory are heading into the Oscar telecast as favorites.
“Anatomy of a Fall and American Fiction are the likely winners,” Rosen said. “Not sure I can see an upset there, but if there was one, it would be Oppenheimer in adapted screenplay over American Fiction.”
Anatomy of a Fall can be had for -200 at bet365 for best screenplay, and American Fiction is at -188, also at bet365, for adapted screenplay. The odds for Oppenheimer in this category are at +200 across the board.
The Oscars will be broadcast live on ABC on Sunday, March 10.
Photo: Araya Doheny/Getty Images



2024-03-07
