How You Can Watch All 10 Best Picture Nominees Before Sunday's Oscars

by Julian Spivey

It has never been easier to watch the films nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards before the Oscars telecast as it has been the last few years with the proliferation of streaming and video on demand being easier than ever before.

So, if you missed out on some or many of the Best Picture nominees and are using the days leading up to the 96th Academy Awards this Sunday, March 10 here are the ways you can watch all 10 Best Picture nominees.

The 96th annual Academy Awards will air on ABC and stream live on Disney+ at 6 p.m.

American Fiction
“American Fiction,” writer/director Cord Jefferson’s film about a frustrated African American novelist (played by Best Actor nominee Jeffrey Wright) who writes an outlandishly stereotypical satire of “black books” and hits it big, has been one of the Best Picture nominees hardest to find for folks who weren’t lucky enough to see it at their local cinema. It’s probably because it’s the most recent release of the 10 nominees and hasn’t hit V.O.D. yet. The easiest way right now to watch “American Fiction” is to be lucky enough to have it still playing at a local theater or you can purchase it currently on Amazon Prime Video for$14.99. “American Fiction” will be available to stream for MGM+ users (I know, not the most popular streamer) on Friday, March 8 (two days before the Oscars). I’ll probably use the free trial option for MGM+ via Amazon Prime Video this weekend to see it. I imagine renting via V.O.D. services on that date might also be available.

Anatomy of a Fall
“Anatomy of a Fall,” Best Director nominee Justine Triet’s crime-thriller starring Best Actress nominee Sandra Huller as a woman who must prove her innocence following the unexpected death of her husband, is currently available to rent via Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, AppleTV+ and YouTube for $5.99. It will be available to stream on Hulu on March 22 if you’re already subscribing to that streamer and don’t want to spend any more money, but unfortunately that does you no good if you’re hoping to watch before the Oscars this weekend.

Barbie
Director Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” was the highest-grossing movie at the box office in 2023, so the odds are if there’s a Best Picture nominee that you’ve already seen it’s this one. However, if you haven’t yet seen “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie and Best Supporting Actor nominee Ryan Gosling, before Hollywood’s big night you can stream it via Max or rent it for $5.99 wherever you watch V.O.D.

The Holdovers
“The Holdovers,” director Alexander Payne’s dramedy about a professor (Best Actor nominee Paul Giamatti), teenage student (Dominic Sessa) and school cook (Best Supporting Actress frontrunner Da’Vine Joy Randolph) stuck over the winter break at a New England prep school, is currently streaming on Peacock. “The Holdovers” can also be rented for $5.99 wherever you watch V.O.D.

Killers of the Flower Moon
Director Martin Scorsese’s three-and-a-half-hour epic about the horrific Osage killings in Oklahoma in the early part of the 1900s is nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Director for Scorsese, Best Actress for Lily Gladstone (the first ever nomination in the category for a Native American) and Best Supporting Actor for Robert De Niro. “Killers of the Flower Moon” is currently streaming on AppleTV+ and it can be purchased for $19.99 on Amazon Prime Video.

Maestro
Director Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro” might be the most accessible of all 10 Best Picture nominees because it’s streaming on Netflix, which remains the most popular streamer by far in the country. The film stars Cooper, who’s nominated for Best Actor, as American composer Leonard Bernstein and his relationship with his wife Felicia, played by Best Actress nominated Carey Mulligan. “Maestro” is a Netflix exclusive so if you don’t subscribe and want to see it you’re out of luck.

Oppenheimer
“Oppenheimer,” director Christopher Nolan’s epic about J. Robert Oppenheimer who was tasked with building the atomic bomb and later spoke out against its usage, was nominated for 13 Oscars, including Best Director, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr. and Best Supporting Actress for Emily Blunt. “Oppenheimer” is expected to be the big winner on Oscars night. Seeing as how it was the third highest-grossing film at the box office in 2023 there’s a good chance you’ve already seen “Oppenheimer,” but if not it’s currently streaming on Max and can be rented for $5.99 wherever you watch V.O.D.  

Past Lives
Director Celine Song’s quiet, contemplative look at relationships “Past Lives” is one of the reasons why having 10 Best Picture nominees is such a great thing for film. It’s a small film that may have been passed upon in past years but belongs among any list of the best of the year. The film stars Greta Lee as a woman who immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea when she was a child and finds herself navigating between two men she loves. “Past Lives” is streaming via Paramount+ and can be rented for $5.99 wherever you watch V.O.D.

Poor Things
“Poor Things,” director Yorgos Lanthimos’ Frankenstein-esque tale of a young woman, played by Best Actress nominated Emma Stone, brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, has also been one of the harder Best Picture nominees to check out before the Oscars due to its later release date. If you haven’t been lucky enough to see “Poor Things” in theaters it will begin streaming on Hulu on Thursday, March 7 three days before the Oscars. It's currently available for purchase for $12.99 on Amazon Prime Video and hopefully will be available on V.O.D. later this week, as well.  

The Zone of Interest
“The Zone of Interest,” Best Director nominee Jonathan Glazer’s dispassionate look at a Nazi concentration camp commandant who lives just outside of the camp with his family and strives to build a dream life while Hell is just inside the gates, is probably the priciest of all of the Best Picture nominees at the moment, only being available for purchase for $19.99 wherever you watch V.O.D. The film might also be at a local cinema if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere where the cinema will play an arthouse foreign language film with dark themes.