For Warner Bros., the year 2025 has seen an embarrassment of riches. After breaking box-office records with a string of $40 million openings , the studio released Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which just bolstered its status as the season’s most formidable Oscar contender by sweeping the first week of precursor awards . And if, for some reason, One Battle stumbles before the finish line, the title that’s best positioned to likely win in its stead is another Warner Bros. movie: Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which, like OBAA, has shown up everywhere it’s needed to this season.

It’s not unusual for a studio to juggle multiple Best Picture contenders; Neon and Netflix could also place a couple in the Oscar ten this year. But what is unique about Warner’s situation

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