The results of the Times Leader’s readers’ ballot for this year’s Oscars is locked in! This is the first-ever poll — at least to my knowledge — of this kind made just for Times Leader readers. Now that the votes have been tallied, I’m happy to present the results.
Best Picture
If the readers have anything to say about it, the Oscars are going to be, first and foremost, a celebration of “Wicked.” The Oz-based musical racked up 31% of the vote in Best Picture, good for a commanding victory over second place “Anora” (19%).
Best Director
Because “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu is not nominated in this category, the readers were forced to go in another direction. They picked Brady Corbet for “The Brutalist.” He garnered 30% of the vote, toppling Coralie Fargeat for “The Substance,” who drew a mention on 25% of ballots.
Best Actor
Timothee Chalamet’s performance as Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” was the readers’ favorite performance among the Best Actor contenders. The young star racked up 45% of the vote, nearly double the attention received by runner-up Adrien Brody (27%) for “The Brutalist.”
Best Actress
In Best Actress, the readers resisted “Wicked” and instead went with Demi Moore for “The Substance,” who captured 45% of the tally. Cynthia Erivo, the show-stopping star of “Wicked,” came close with 38% on her side.
Best Supporting Actor
The votes for Best Supporting Actor resulted in a resounding victory for Kieran Culkin in “A Real Pain.” His name was checked on 44% of ballots, outpacing Edward Norton, whose performance as Pete Seeger in “A Complete Unknown” received 28%.
Best Supporting Actress
Unlike her co-star in the other actress category, Ariana Grande claimed victory in the readers’ poll with 39% support, edging out odds-on favorite Zoe Saldana (32%), who is nominated for her role in “Emilia Perez.”
Best Original Screenplay
In one of the tightest races in the readers’ poll, the screenplay for “A Real Pain” squeaked out a victory with 28% of the vote, just barely pulling a victory away from both “Anora” (27%) and “The Substance” (23%).
Best Adapted Screenplay
“Conclave” won enough votes to be the readers’ choice in Best Adapted Screenplay. The papal drama received 32% of the votes, just a few ticks above “A Complete Unknown,” which received 25%.
Best International Film
The favored international film among the Times Leader’s readers appears to be “Emilia Perez,” which fielded a strong 44% of the votes. Its fellow Best Picture nominee, “I’m Still Here,” got a 27% share of the support.
Best Animated Feature
The highest grossing film of 2024, “Inside Out 2,” won over the readers as well. It’s 42% vote share was enough to win, though “The Wild Robot” put up a nice fight with 38% of ballots marking it as the preferred victor.
Best Documentary Feature
“No Other Land” ran over its fellow documentaries in the readers’ poll, snagging 42% of votes, far surpassing the 23% earned by “Porcelain War.”
Best Cinematography
“Dune: Part Two” received enough support from the readers to easily win the Best Cinematography portion of the Oscar pie. Its 44% toppled the “Nosferatu” figure of 25%.
Best Film Editing
In Best Film Editing, “Wicked” asserted its dominance — prepare to hear a lot of that coming up — soaring to 45% of the vote and easily clearing “The Brutalist” at 21%.
Best Production Design
How would you like more “Wicked”? This victory was even more resounding, as the film obliterated the competition with a whopping 66% of the Best Production Design vote. “Nosferatu” was a distant second with 14% of the vote to its name.
Best Costume Design
More “Wicked”! Again, in Best Costume Design, “Wicked” received 66% of the vote, with “Gladiator II” coming in second with just 15% of ballots on its side.
Best Makeup & Hairstyling
Have you guys heard of a little film called “Wicked”? It appears so, as it won the Best Makeup & Hairstyling vote as well with 47%. “The Substance” snagged 31%, a respectable number considering the winner’s broad dominance.
Best Visual Effects
Best Visual Effects went to “Dune: Part Two,” a refreshing change of pace. The spring blockbuster racked up 44% of the vote, with — you guessed it — “Wicked” getting 20% of the vote share to land in second.
Best Original Score
And now back to “Wicked”. The Broadway adaptation won the readers’ Best Original Score prize with 55% of the final tally. The runner-up was “The Wild Robot” (19%).
Best Original Song
Elton John is headed back to the Oscar stage according to Times Leader readers. His half-titular song from the documentary “Elton John: Never Too Late” was the winning tune with 47% of the vote, followed by “El Mal” from “Emilia Perez” with 20%.
Best Sound
In case you forgot, “Wicked” came out this year, and it took home its eighth and final prize in the readers’ ballot with 34% of the vote in Best Sound. In second place was “A Complete Unknown” (29%).
Best Live Action Short
In the single closest race in the readers’ poll, “The Last Ranger” and “The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent” both attracted 29% of their category’s votes, but “The Last Ranger” won by a sliver when decimals got involved. In a respectable third was “I’m Not a Robot” and its 25%.
Best Animated Short
Best Animated Short turned out to be a walk in the park for “Magic Candies,” which received 44% of the ballots cast. “Wander to Wonder” received 21% to finish in the runner-up spot.
Best Documentary Short
All five Best Documentary Short nominees received over 15% of the readers’ votes but “I Am Ready, Warden” finished on top with 33%. “Death by Numbers” received just enough support (18%) to take over second place.
