Love it or hate it, but the National Board of Review awards are a really good harbinger for what’s happening early in the Oscar races. The NBR is usually the first major critics organization to announce their awards and they’ve cultivated a real prestige among the smaller, non-televised awards shows. So the NBR announced their 2024-25 awards on Wednesday, and this is something. Wicked got best picture and best director! And Nicole Kidman’s best-actress campaign for Babygirl just got a huge boost.

Universal’s feature take of the Broadway musical, Wicked, wasn’t only named Best Film of 2024 by the National Board of Review, but the movie was also named Best Director for Jon M. Chu, while its stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are receiving an NBR Spotlight Award for their creative collaboration.

Winners will be honored at the NBR’s annual awards gala Jan. 7 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. The ceremony will be hosted by MSNBC Morning Joe co-host Willie Geist. The group’s awards celebrate excellence in filmmaking and also hand out its signature honors for the NBR Icon Award, NBC Freedom of Expression and the WIlliam K. Everson Award for Film.

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 Ensemble: Conclave

Breakthrough Performance: Mikey Madison, Anora

Best Directorial Debut: India Donaldson, Good One

Best Original Screenplay: Mike Leigh, Hard Truths

Best Adapted Screenplay: Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, Sing Sing

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

[From Deadline]

Do I think that any of these winners are really locked in? No. I think Daniel Craig is locked in for a nomination, but for a win? Who knows. As I said, this is a huge boost for Nicole’s chance for yet another Oscar nomination too, because I’ve seen Nicole excluded from several Best-Actress race predictions. Given the box office success of Wicked, I also think the film is guaranteed Best Picture nominations across the board, but I wonder if Hollywood is actually going to be eager to push Wicked for Best Picture ten weeks from now when Academy members are actually voting. Kieran Culkin is sort of drifting along as the favorite for supporting actor though, which feels like a relatively new consensus. Elle Fanning plays Bob Dylan’s early-career love interest in A Complete Unknown, and most of the conversations have been about Timothee Chalamet, not Elle. But we’ll see. I’m glad that people are noticing Elle though, she’s such an amazing actress.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.