Universal Pictures’ Wicked dominated the National Board of Review (NBR) awards, winning Best Picture, the Best Director accolade for Jon M. Chu, and a Special Award for the dynamic collaboration between stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the organization announced on Wednesday.

Wicked’s victory adds weight to its growing Oscar buzz. Over the past four decades, NBR’s top film winner has often translated to an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, with only a handful of exceptions like Gods and Monsters (1998) and A Most Violent Year (2014).

Meanwhile, Daniel Craig earned the Best Actor award for his standout role in Luca Guadagnino’s period drama Queer. Nicole Kidman took home the Best Actress prize for her “towering turn” in Halina Reijn’s Babygirl. Historically, NBR acting winners, especially in the lead actress category, have a strong track record of securing Oscar nominations and even victories, with recent examples like Michelle Yeoh for Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022).

Kieran Culkin extended his awards streak, clinching Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain, while Elle Fanning was a surprise honoree, winning Best Supporting Actress for A Complete Unknown.

NBR’s list of the year’s top 10 films featured notable entries such as Babygirl, A Complete Unknown, Gladiator 2, and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. However, high-profile projects like Dune: Part Two and The Brutalist were conspicuously absent, reminding industry watchers of past anomalies where overlooked films like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) later triumphed at the Oscars.

The NBR Awards Gala is set for January 7 in New York City, where this year’s winners will gather to celebrate their achievements. As the awards season heats up, Wicked and its fellow honorees remain firmly in the spotlight.

Check out the list of NBR winners here:

Best Film: “Wicked”

Best Director: Jon M. Chu, “Wicked”

Best Actor: Daniel Craig, “Queer”

Best Actress: Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl”

Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”

Best Supporting Actress: Elle Fanning, “A Complete Unknown”

Best Original Screenplay: “Hard Truths” – Mike Leigh

Best Adapted Screenplay: “Sing Sing” — Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar

Breakthrough Performance: Mikey Madison, “Anora”

Best Directorial Debut: India Donaldson, “Good One”

Best Animated Feature: “Flow”

Best International Film: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”

Best Documentary: “Sugarcane”

Best Ensemble: “Conclave”

NBR Freedom of Expression: “No Other Land”

NBR Spotlight Award: Creative Collaboration of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande

Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry: “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: “Nosferatu” — Jarin Blaschke

Top 10 Films (in alphabetical order):

• “Anora”
• “Babygirl”
• “A Complete Unknown”
• “Conclave”
• “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”
• “Gladiator II”
• “Juror No. 2”
• “Queer”
• “A Real Pain”
• “Sing Sing”

Top 5 International Films (in alphabetical order):

• “All We Imagine as Light”
• “The Girl with the Needle”
• “I’m Still Here”
• “Santosh”
• “Universal Language”

Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order):

• “Black Box Diaries”
• “Dahomey”
• “Look into my Eyes”
• “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”
• “Will & Harper”

Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order):

• “Bird”
• “A Different Man”
• “Didi”
• “Ghostlight”
• “Good One”
• “Hard Truths”
• “His Three Daughters”
• “Love Lies Bleeding”
• “My Old Ass”
• “Thelma”

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