The 97th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the gala, the AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 23 categories honoring films released in 2024. The ceremony, televised in the United States by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and streamed on Hulu, was produced by Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, and was directed by Hamish Hamilton. Comedian Conan O'Brien hosted the show for the first time.
| 97th Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Date | March 2, 2025 |
| Site | Dolby Theatre Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Hosted by | Conan O'Brien |
| Preshow hosts | Julianne Hough Jesse Palmer |
| Produced by | Raj Kapoor Katy Mullan |
| Directed by | Hamish Hamilton |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | Anora |
| Most awards | Anora (5) |
| Most nominations | Emilia Pérez (13) |
| TV in the United States | |
| Network | American Broadcasting Company (ABC) Hulu |
| Duration | 3 hours, 50 minutes |
| Ratings | 19.69 million 9.1% (Nielsen ratings) |
In related events, the Academy held its 15th Governors Awards ceremony at the Ray Dolby Ballroom of the Ovation Hollywood complex in Hollywood, on November 17, 2024. The Academy Scientific and Technical Awards were presented by host Diego Luna on April 29, 2025, in a ceremony at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
Anora won a leading five awards, including Best Picture. Other winners included The Brutalist with three awards; Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, and Wicked with two awards each; and Conclave, Flow, I'm Not a Robot, I'm Still Here, In the Shadow of the Cypress, No Other Land, The Only Girl in the Orchestra, A Real Pain, and The Substance with one each. The telecast drew 19.69 million viewers in the United States.
Winners and nominees
The nominees for the 97th Academy Awards were announced on January 23, 2025, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, by actress Rachel Sennott and actor Bowen Yang.Emilia Pérez led all nominees with thirteen nominations, the most for a non-English-language film in Oscars history; The Brutalist and Wicked tied for second with ten nominations each. The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 2.
For the first time in Oscar history, two films, Emilia Pérez and I'm Still Here, were nominated simultaneously for Best Picture and Best International Feature.I'm Still Here was also the first Portuguese-language film nominated for Best Picture. With his wins for producing, directing, screenwriting, and film editing Anora, Sean Baker became the second person to win four awards in one night after Walt Disney did so at the 26th ceremony in 1954, and the first to do so for a single film. Best Actor winner Adrien Brody gave the longest acceptance speech in Oscar history at 5 minutes and 37 seconds. At the age of 25, Best Actress winner Mikey Madison became the first member of Generation Z to win an acting Oscar. Best Actress nominee Karla Sofía Gascón became the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for an acting category. Best Supporting Actress winner Zoe Saldaña was the first Dominican American to win an Oscar. Best Costume Design winner Paul Tazewell became the first Black man to win that category. Best Animated Feature winner Flow was the first independent animated film to win that category and the first Latvian film to win an Oscar. Best Documentary Feature winner No Other Land became the first Palestinian film to win an Oscar.
Awards
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).
Best Picture
| Best Directing
|
Best Actor in a Leading Role
| Best Actress in a Leading Role
|
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role
|
Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
| Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
|
Best Animated Feature Film
| Best International Feature Film
|
Best Documentary Feature Film
| Best Documentary Short Film
|
Best Short Film (Live Action)
| Best Animated Short Film
|
Best Music (Original Score)
| Best Music (Original Song)
|
Best Sound
| Best Production Design
|
Best Cinematography
| Best Makeup and Hairstyling
|
Best Costume Design
| Best Film Editing
|
Best Visual Effects
| |
Governors Awards
The Academy held its 15th annual Governors Awards ceremony on November 17, 2024, during which the following awards were presented:
Honorary Awards
- To Quincy Jones, for his artistic genius, relentless creativity and trailblazing legacy in film music.(posthumous)
- To Juliet Taylor, for her expansive body of work and indelible influence on the field of film casting.
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
- Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli – For "their contribution to the industry's theatrical landscape".
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
- Richard Curtis – "A brilliant comedic storyteller [with] tremendous charitable efforts".
Films with multiple nominations and awards
|
|
Presenters and performers
The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers:
| Name(s) | Role |
|---|---|
| Nick Offerman | Served as announcer for the 97th Academy Awards |
| Robert Downey Jr. | Presented the award for Best Supporting Actor |
| Andrew Garfield Goldie Hawn | Presented the awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Animated Short Film |
| Lily-Rose Depp Elle Fanning John Lithgow Connie Nielsen Bowen Yang | Presented the award for Best Costume Design |
| Amy Poehler | Presented the awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay |
| Scarlett Johansson June Squibb | Presented the award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling |
| Halle Berry | Presented the segment of Governors Awards and the James Bond tribute to Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson |
| Daryl Hannah | Presented the award for Best Film Editing |
| Da'Vine Joy Randolph | Presented the award for Best Supporting Actress |
| Ben Stiller | Presented the award for Best Production Design |
| Mick Jagger | Presented the award for Best Original Song |
| Selena Gomez Samuel L. Jackson | Presented the awards for Best Documentary Short Film and Best Documentary Feature |
| Miley Cyrus Miles Teller | Presented the award for Best Sound |
| Gal Gadot Rachel Zegler | Presented the award for Best Visual Effects |
| Ana de Armas Sterling K. Brown | Presented the award for Best Live Action Short Film |
| Morgan Freeman | Presented the "In Memoriam" segment |
| Joe Alwyn Dave Bautista Willem Dafoe Alba Rohrwacher Zoe Saldaña | Presented the award for Best Cinematography |
| Penélope Cruz | Presented the award for Best International Feature Film |
| Mark Hamill | Presented the awards for Best Original Score |
| Whoopi Goldberg Oprah Winfrey | Introduced the musical tribute to Quincy Jones |
| Cillian Murphy | Presented the award for Best Actor |
| Quentin Tarantino | Presented the award for Best Director |
| Emma Stone | Presented the award for Best Actress |
| Billy Crystal Meg Ryan | Presented the award for Best Picture |
| Name | Role | Performed |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Bearden | Conductor Musical director | Orchestral |
| Ariana Grande Cynthia Erivo | Performers | "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz "Home" from The Wiz "Defying Gravity" from Wicked |
| Conan O'Brien | Performer | "I Won't Waste Time" during the opening monologue |
| Margaret Qualley Lisa Doja Cat Raye | Performers | "Live and Let Die" from Live and Let Die "Diamonds Are Forever" from Diamonds Are Forever "Skyfall" from Skyfall |
| Los Angeles Master Chorale | Performers | "Lacrimosa" from Mozart's Requiem during the "In Memoriam" segment |
| Queen Latifah | Performer | "Ease on Down the Road" from The Wiz during the tribute to Quincy Jones |
Ceremony information
In October 2024, the Academy hired television producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan to oversee production of the ceremony for the second consecutive year. In a press release, AMPAS president Janet Yang and Academy CEO Bill Kramer explained their decision in selecting the pair, stating, "Their love for cinema, their collective creative vision, and their unparalleled expertise in live television make them the perfect team to create an exceptional show for our global audience on the film industry's biggest night." In response, Kapoor and Mullan released a statement, saying, "We are thrilled to lead the brilliant Oscars production team again and work alongside the Academy and Disney/ABC to help create an unforgettable night of television for movie lovers worldwide." The following month, comedian and former talk show host Conan O'Brien, who previously hosted two Primetime Emmy Awards telecasts in 2002 and 2006, was selected to host the 2025 gala. "Conan has all the qualities of a great Oscars host — he is incredibly witty, charismatic and funny and has proven himself to be a master of live event television," remarked producers Kapoor and Mullan regarding their choice for host. Previously, in July, it was reported that comedian and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, who had hosted the ceremony four times prior, turned down an invitation to return, while comedian John Mulaney was also allegedly approached and declined.
The Southern California wildfires affected the telecast and its surrounding events. Voting for the nominations, which began on January 8, 2025, was originally planned to end four days later. However, due to the wildfires which affected several Academy members, the voting period was extended by five more days ending on January 17. The nominations announcement was also delayed nearly a week to January 23. In addition, the annual Academy nominees luncheon originally scheduled for February 10 was cancelled, and the Scientific and Technical Awards gala initially planned for February 18 was delayed by two months to April 29. At the start of the broadcast, a montage paying tribute to Los Angeles featuring clips from films such as Barbie (2023), Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), La La Land (2016), Mulholland Drive (2001), and The Wizard of Oz (1939) was shown prior to Ariana Grande's performance of "Over the Rainbow". During the broadcast, a QR code was displayed providing a link containing resources for fire relief efforts. Later, host O'Brien brought onstage a group of twelve firefighters and other first responders and thanked them for their service during wildfires. Three of those members, Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) captain Erik Scott, LAFD helicopter pilot Jonith Johnson Jr., and Pasadena Fire Department Captain Jodi Slicker, delivered jokes onstage to the audience due to O'Brien jokingly claiming, "There are some jokes even I'm not brave enough to tell."
For the first time, the broadcast was made available for streaming live on Hulu. The simulcast on said streaming platform was notably met with technical issues such as crashing multiple times throughout the ceremony and prematurely ending the stream just before the Best Actress nominees were announced; Hulu apologized the following day.
Notable changes were introduced in the production of the telecast. In a break from previous presentations, the awards for Best Costume Design and Best Cinematography were presented by five actors, one of whom was featured in each of the nominated films in the category. The format was similar to how the acting awards were presented at the 81st and 96th ceremonies in 2009 and 2024, respectively. The Academy also announced that none of the five nominees for Best Original Song would be performed live during the gala. In lieu of the performances, each of the nominated songs was highlighted through personal reflections and behind-the-scenes insight from the creative teams responsible for the nominees.
Several others participated in the production of the ceremony and related events. Musician Michael Bearden was the musical director for the telecast. Production designer Misty Buckley and Alana Billingsley designed a new stage for the show. Comedian and journalist Amelia Dimoldenberg served as a social media and red carpet correspondent for the Oscars' online outlets. Choreographer Mandy Moore oversaw the James Bond musical tribute which featured performances from Lisa, Doja Cat, and Raye, and an appearance in the beginning by actress and dancer Margaret Qualley.
Best Picture theatrical qualification and other rule changes
In June 2023, the Academy announced that, starting with the 97th awards, all films submitted for Best Picture would have to comply with several standards regarding their theatrical runs. In a press release, AMPAS president Janet Yang and Academy CEO Bill Kramer said of the new standards, "In support of our mission to celebrate and honor the arts and sciences of moviemaking, it is our hope that this expanded theatrical footprint will increase the visibility of films worldwide and encourage audiences to experience our artform in a theatrical setting. Based on many conversations with industry partners, we feel that this evolution benefits film artists and movie lovers alike." Many media outlets pointed out that the new rules were drafted in response to the growing presence of streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, and Netflix submitting their films for awards consideration.
According to the new rules, in addition to the previous requirement where prospective films must play theatrically for a week in either Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area, Atlanta, or Miami, they also would have to be shown in an expanded seven-day theatrical run in 10 of the top 50 US markets. The expanded theatrical run would have to occur within 45 days after the film's initial release in the eligibility year, and can be shown in either consecutive or nonconsecutive days. For films released later in the calendar year with expansions after January 10, distributors would have to submit to AMPAS release plans for verification and the theatrical run would have to be completed no later than January 24. Non-American films could also have theatrical runs in two markets outside the US to be counted toward ten theatrical markets needed for consideration. However, these films would have to release in the top 15 international theatrical markets in addition to the film's country of origin.
Additional rule changes were also approved by the AMPAS Board of Governors in April 2024. Drive-in theaters, which were temporarily allowed as a venue to meet qualification and eligibility standards during the COVID-19 pandemic, would be no longer recognized as a method to fulfill requirements for consideration. In the Best Original Score category, up to three composers can receive individual statuettes if all composers contribute significantly to a film's musical score. Additionally, the shortlist for the aforementioned category would increase from fifteen to twenty films. For the screenplay awards, all films must submit a final shooting script to be eligible for consideration in either category. Animated feature films submitted for consideration in the Best International Feature Film category may also be eligible for the Best Animated Feature award provided they meet the rules outlined for both categories. Finally, recipients of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award will now receive an Oscar statuette as opposed to a bust of Thalberg in previous years.
Box office performance of Best Picture nominees
When the nominations were announced, nine of the ten films nominated for Best Picture had earned a combined gross of $900 million at the American and Canadian box offices at the time.Wicked was the highest-grossing film among the Best Picture nominees with $466 million in domestic box office receipts. Dune: Part Two came in second with $283 million; this was followed by A Complete Unknown ($59 million), Conclave ($32 million), The Substance ($17 million), Anora ($15 million), The Brutalist ($6 million), Nickel Boys ($1.1 million), and I'm Still Here ($162,000). The box office figures for Emilia Pérez were unavailable due to distributor Netflix's policy of refusing to release such figures.
Critical reviews
Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman called the show "a brisk and elegantly executed piece of media stagecraft, successful in more ways than not. It was lavishly designed and purged of dead spots, and the winners were given the chance to reveal who they were, which is really the heart of the show." Columnist Brian Lowry of TheWrap commented, "The 97th Academy Awards largely mastered the delicate mechanics of that juggling act, acknowledging weightier matters — such as bringing out Los Angeles firefighters for an extended ovation — while seeking to provide a sense of playfulness, even silliness, courtesy of host Conan O'Brien." Television critic Judy Berman of Time praised O'Brien's hosting performance, writing, "Whenever O'Brien was onstage, balancing impish humor with a palpable love for movies and compassion for an industry where so many recently lost so much to the wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles, the ceremony felt light and loose." She concluded her remarks by stating, "Still, the best moments of this hosting gig were just Conan being Conan, letting the winners enjoy their spotlight and laughing at himself to make everyone else feel comfortable."
Kelly Lawler of USA Today reserved praise for O'Brien and the winners' speeches, but she wrote, "Inoffensive and somewhat bland, the 2025 Oscars lacked passion and fervor, or a distinctive hook that makes the ceremony more than just a generic recitation of winners." Television critic Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter remarked, "I'm perfectly happy to pretend that this telecast was the show we deserved at this point in history, when everything feels so unstable. But maybe it was just an uneven mess. Who's to say?" He criticized several decisions such as dropping the performances of the Best Original Song nominees in favor of musical tributes to James Bond and Quincy Jones that contributed to the telecast's bloated runtime, but he commended O'Brien's hosting performance and called writing during the gala "impressively sharp".The Detroit News film critic Adam Graham commented, "Sunday night's Academy Awards telecast was severely lacking in the movie star razzle dazzle we look forward to on the broadcast. Coming at the end of a packed awards and entertainment season, it felt more like reheated leftovers than it did Hollywood's biggest night."
Ratings and reception
The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 19.69 million people over its length, which was a 1% increase from the previous year's ceremony. In addition, it garnered a higher 18–49 demo rating with a 4.54 rating among viewers in that demographic. Ratings figures included those who watched the telecast on ABC, streamed it on Hulu, or viewed it on computers, tablets, and other digital devices.
In July 2025, the broadcast was nominated for six awards at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards and its corresponding Creative Arts Awards. Two months later, the ceremony won one of those nominations for Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special (Production Designers: Alana Billingsley and Misty Buckley; Art Directors: John Zuiker and Margaux LaPresle).
"In Memoriam"
The annual "In Memoriam" segment, presented by Morgan Freeman, featured the Los Angeles Master Chorale performing "Lacrimosa" from Requiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The following individuals were honored during the tribute:
- Maggie Smith – actress
- Gena Rowlands – actress
- Dabney Coleman – actor
- Lourdes Portillo – documentary filmmaker
- Dick Pope – cinematographer
- Phyllis Dalton – costume designer
- David Seidler – writer
- Roger Corman – director, producer
- Jeff Baena – director, writer
- Dianne Crittenden – casting director
- Bob Newhart – actor
- Kris Kristofferson – actor, songwriter
- Marshall Brickman – director, writer
- Robert Laemmle – exhibitor
- M. Emmet Walsh – actor
- K. C. Fox – set decorator
- Anthea Sylbert – costume designer, producer
- Josh Welsh – executive
- John F. Burnett – film editor
- Fred Roos – producer
- Jeannie Epper – stunt performer
- Christopher Newman – production sound mixer
- Nancy St. John – visual effects supervisor
- Paula Weinstein – producer
- Teri Garr – actress
- Cheng Pei-pei – actress
- John Amos – actor
- Robert Towne – director, writer
- Bill Cobbs – actor
- Lisa Westcott – makeup artist
- Barry Michael Cooper – writer
- Leonard Engelman – makeup artist
- Bud S. Smith – film editor
- Lynda Obst – producer
- Adam Somner – assistant director
- Roger Pratt – cinematographer
- Charles Shyer – director, writer
- Joan Plowright – actress
- Anouk Aimée – actress
- Donald Sutherland – actor
- Leo Chaloukian – sound executive
- Albert S. Ruddy – producer
- Art Evans – actor
- Colin Chilvers – visual effects
- Jim Tauber – executive
- Richard M. Sherman – songwriter
- Jan A. P. Kaczmarek – composer
- Louis Gossett Jr. – actor
- Tim McGovern – visual effects supervisor
- Ray Chan – production designer
- Will Jennings – songwriter
- Jon Landau – producer
- Fumi Kitahara – publicist
- Shelley Duvall – actress
- David Lynch – director, writer
- James Earl Jones – actor
- Gene Hackman – actor
Prior to the start of the tribute, Freeman briefly eulogized Hackman. Later in the ceremony, Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey introduced a musical tribute to Quincy Jones featuring Queen Latifah performing the song "Ease on Down the Road" from The Wiz.
See also
- List of submissions to the 97th Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature
- List of submissions to the 97th Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature
- List of submissions to the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film