From Jay Kelly to Wicked 2: the Oscar-primed films that fizzled this season

February 5, 2026

TL;DR

Big-budget films like 'Sinners' and 'One Battle After Another' are prominent this year, contrasting with previous years' focus on smaller films.
Despite strong casts, films starring major actors like George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Dwayne Johnson, and Emily Blunt have failed to gain Oscar traction.
'The Smashing Machine', starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, underperformed both critically and commercially.
'After the Hunt', featuring Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield, was met with audience indifference and failed at the box office.
'A House of Dynamite', directed by Kathryn Bigelow, received initial praise but ultimately garnered no Oscar nominations.
The Bruce Springsteen biopic 'Deliver Me from Nowhere' (later retitled 'Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere') also missed nominations despite a strong premise.
Sydney Sweeney's film 'Christy' failed to gain traction, becoming a box office disaster.
Jay Kelly', starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler, received mixed reviews and failed to impress the Academy.
The musical sequel 'Wicked: For Good' was entirely shut out of nominations, a significant fall from its predecessor.
Edward Berger's 'The Ballad of a Small Player', despite a strong cast, did not connect with audiences or voters.
Bradley Cooper's third film, 'Is This Thing On?', was overshadowed and failed to generate Oscar buzz.
Brendan Fraser's follow-up film 'Rental Family' received better reviews than 'The Whale' but didn't secure award recognition.

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