The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards have been announced, andEmilia Pérezhas given Netflix their best chance yet to earn a Best Picture Oscar. Directed by Jacques Audiard and based on Audiard’s opera libretto of the same name, the musical melodrama has become one of the biggest award contenders of the 2024 film slate. After earning avictory at the Golden Globesand nominations from several other notable organizations, the film was already expected to be a force to be reckoned with at the Oscars. However, the film has exceeded expectations and earned several nominations across the board.

This includes a nomination for Best Picture, an awardEmilia Pérezis now considered a frontrunner to win. That is a big deal for Netflix, which released the film to critical acclaim. This is the tenthfilm from Netflix to be nominated for Best Picture. If the musical actually wins, it would break a long-running losing streak from the streaming service at the Oscars. It would be a huge victory for Netflix given their efforts over the last decade of original films to breakthrough in that category, and could impact how the company moves forward with its future film slate.

Emilia Pérez (Karla Sofía Gascón) confesses to Jessi (Selena Gomez) before dying that she is Manitas del Monte in Emilia Pérez

Emilia Pérez Is In A Great Position To Win Best Picture After The 2025 Oscar Nominations

Emilia PérezEarning 13 Nominations Makes It A Major Oscar Frontrunner

Emilia Pérezis officially the front-runner for Best Picture at the 97th Academy Awards, which could finally give Netflix a long-wanted victory in the category. Any film that earns over a dozen Oscar nominations will likely win at least some of them, especially if it gains recognition at precursor award ceremonies.Emilia Pérezhas accomplished both, with the film earning several awards at the Golden Globes including Best Performance for a Female Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Picture - Musical or Comedy. The film has remained a major force in the award-season discourse because of its subject matter.

The Brutalist vs. Emilia Pérez: Which Golden Globes Winner Is Better Positioned To Win Best Picture At The 2025 Oscars

The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez were the big winners at the 2025 Golden Globes, but which one is more likely to take home Best Picture at the Oscars?

The musical melodrama, which focuses on a crime lord who goes into hiding by transitioning into a woman, has enough hot topic issues to make it an easy conversation starter among Academy members. A victory for the film, which includes the first Best Actress nomination for a transgender actress, could be seen as an important moral statement. The film also being widely available across Netflix makes it easier for audiences to check out for themselves.All of these elements play into the growing narrative behindEmilia Pérez, which could propel it to a victory in a tough Best Picture category.

The Brutalist, Emilia Pérez and an OScar statuette

Emilia Pérez Has The Most Oscar Nominations Of Any Netflix Movie

13 Nominations Is An Impressive Tally Of Nominations ForEmilia Pérez

Emilia Pérezisn’t the only Netflix film to be nominated at the 97th Academy Awards, withMaria,The Six Triple Eight,Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,The Only Girl In the Orchestra, andAnujaalso earning nominations. However,Emilia Pérezearning 13 nominations is a historic showing for the French film, as well as Netflix in general.Jacques Audiard’s Spanish-language musical is the most nominated non-English language film in Academy history.Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonandRoma(the latter was also a Netflix film) previously held that record, with ten nominations each. Neither film eventually won Best Picture, however.

[Emilia Pérezis] the first Netflix film to earn 13 Oscar nominations, which is a staggering victory for the film all on its own.

Emilia Pérez (Karla Sofía Gascón) furious because Jessi has taken the children from the house in Emilia Pérez

By contrast, the momentum behindEmilia Pérezcan’t be understated.It’s the first Netflix film to earn 13 Oscar nominations, which is a staggering victory for the film all on its own. While this doesn’t quite reach the all-time nominations record of 14 (an honor shared byAll About Eve,Titanic, andLa La Land), it does indicate that Netflix is very much an award contender. This is a big step forward for the streaming service, which has spent the last decade in competition for Oscar recognition but has so far failed to earn the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Netflix Has Tried & Failed To Get A Best Picture Win Over The Last 7 Years

Nine Netflix Films Have Earned Best Picture Nominations BeforeEmilia Pérez

Netflix has been in the hunt for the Best Picture Oscar for a decade now, with the first original film from the streamer being considered a genuine contender at the time of release. However, Cary Joji Fukunaga’sBeasts of No Nationfailed to earn a single nomination after it was released in 2015, considered by many to be among the year’s biggest snubs. It would take untilRomain 2019 for Netflix to earn a nomination for Best Picture. The last five years have been kinder for the streamer, with eight other films earning nominations for the Best Picture category.

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Emilia Pérez characters

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Emilia Perez 2024 Film Poster

The Trial of the Chicago 7

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Emilia Pérez

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Despite those nominations,none of the other films Netflix has been up for the Best Picture Oscar has actually walked away with the award. While some of those films did earn major awards at their respective Academy Award ceremonies (such asRomaandThe Power of the Dogwinning the Best Director award), this has remained an unfortunate streak for Netflix. However, the recognition thatEmilia Pérezhas earned at the 97th Academy Awards could suggest that fortunes are changing for Netflix, and that the Academy sees them as a major contender. This could be a huge development for Netflix.

What Emilia Pérez Winning Best Picture Would Mean For Netflix

2025 Is A Big Year For Netflix, AndEmilia PérezEarning Oscar Gold Would Be A Great Start

Netflix has grown a lot over the years, developing from a mail-in DVD rental service to one of the defacto names in the world of streaming. The service has struggled at times with earning recognition from the old guard in Hollywood, but critically acclaimed shows likeOrange is the New Blackand an ever-growing slate of award-nominated films have helped transform them into a powerhouse company.2025 was already set to be a big year for Netflix, with major shows like Wednesday,Squid Games, andStranger Thingsall set to return (with the latter two even concluding their final seasons).

Netflix needs to continue innovating and experimenting if they want to keep growing, and it looks likeEmilia Pérezis the exact kind of development that will benefit the streamer. The transgressive elements of the film would have made it next to impossible to produce in the studio system of previous years. However,Netflix took a chance on the film and has now set themselves up to earn serious Oscar recognition for it. Netflix winning a Best Picture Oscar forEmilia Pérezcould signify a further commitment to challenging and unique movies from the service, a potentially very exciting development.

Emilia Perez

Cast

Emilia Perez is a drama film that follows the life of Emilia Perez, a determined and ambitious individual striving to make a name for herself in a competitive environment. The story explores her journey as she navigates the challenges and obstacles that come her way, all while uncovering the complexities of her own identity.