It’s the biggest prize of Hollywood’s biggest night: The Academy Award for best picture. This year, there are 10 films vying for that prestigious and elusive title — and as always, only one can win. From the steamy streets of Carnival in the late 1970s to the 18th century Arctic tundra and an eerily familiar, fictionalized version of present-day America, this year’s nominees span decades, genres, continents and cultures. They’re mega box office hits, indie features and foreign films that defy borders and convention. More than anything, they demand viewing on the big screen. A handful of area theaters are showing the nominated films ahead of the awards ceremony — so you can do just that. Sure, you could stream the movies at home, but as the kids say, “reject modernity, embrace tradition.” So head to your local cinema and treat yourself to a bucket of overpriced popcorn and a comically large soda. The 98th Academy Awards will be presented in a ceremony in Los Angeles on March 15, broadcast starting at 6 p.m. on ABC and Hulu. Here are the nominees for best picture (in alphabetical order) and where to catch them around the Chicago area. Use the color legend to toggle between movies. Click on a location marker for more information on that theater, what best picture nominees it’s screening and specific showtimes. “Bugonia” Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest feature follows two conspiracy-minded cousins as they devise a plan to kidnap a pharmaceutical executive they believe to be an alien from the Andromeda galaxy. Jesse Plemon’s character has become convinced these Andromedons want to destroy Earth and he must intervene. Emma Stone plays the target of the cousins’ kidnapping plot. In addition to best picture, “Bugonia” notched nominations for best adapted screenplay, for its script based on the South Korean comedy “Save the Green Planet,” best original score for composer and second-time Oscar nominee Jerskin Fendrix and best actress for Stone, who won the award two years ago for her starring role in Lanthimos’ “Poor Things.” Despite recognition from the Golden Globes, Plemons failed to land a lead acting nomination. Addison Cinema, AMC Evanston 12, AMC Naperville 16, AMC NEWCITY 14, AMC Northbrook 14, AMC River East 21, AMC Roosevelt Collection 16, AMC South Barrington 24, AMC Streets of Woodfield 20, AMC Village Crossing 18, AMC Yorktown 18, Cinemark Century Deer Park 16, Cinemark Seven Bridges, Elgin Cinema, Gurnee Mills Cinema, Regal Bolingbrook, Regal City North, Regal Crystal Lake Showplace. “F1” Possibly the least-expected best picture nominee from this awards season? “F1.” Brad Pitt stars as an aging Formula 1 racing driver who returns to the sport to mentor an ambitious rookie. He’s joined by Academy Award-winner Javier Bardem and relative newcomer Damson Idris in this Apple Original. The film quickly became the streaming platform’s highest-grossing release and the most commercially-successful movie of Pitt’s career. Along with best picture, “F1” received nominations for sound, film editing and visual effects. Addison Cinema, AMC Evanston 12, AMC Naperville 16, AMC NEWCITY 14, AMC Northbrook 14, AMC River East 21, AMC Roosevelt Collection 16, AMC South Barrington 24, AMC Streets of Woodfield 20, AMC Village Crossing 18, AMC Yorktown 18, Cinemark Century Deer Park 16, Cinemark Seven Bridges, Elgin Cinema, Gurnee Mills Cinema, Orland Park Cinema, Regal Bolingbrook, Regal City North, Regal Crystal Lake Showplace (Focus Features / Warner Bros. Pictures / Focus Features / A24 / Neon / Netflix via AP) “Frankenstein” Director Guillermo del Toro, known for his gothic fairytale style, tackles Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi as the egocentric scientist Victor Frankenstein and his monstrous creation, respectively, as they battle the consequences of unchecked ambition. “Frankenstein” also earned nominations for best adapted screenplay, cinematography, production design, costume design, makeup and hairstyling, sound and score. Out of its cast, which features Christoph Waltz and Mia Goth in dual roles, only Elordi received a supporting actor nomination for his performance as The Creature. The film had a limited theatrical run in October before a release on Netflix in early November. Should it win, “Frankenstein” will be the first Netflix-produced best picture in Oscars history. Addison Cinema, AMC Evanston 12, AMC Naperville 16, AMC NEWCITY 14, AMC Northbrook 14, AMC River East 21, AMC Roosevelt Collection 16, AMC South Barrington 24, AMC Streets of Woodfield 20, AMC Village Crossing 18, AMC Yorktown 18, Cinemark Century Deer Park 16, Cinemark Seven Bridges, Elgin Cinema, Gurnee Mills Cinema, Landmark at The Glen, Orland Park Cinema, Regal Bolingbrook, Regal City North, Regal Crystal Lake Showplace “Hamnet” Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, “Hamnet” centers on William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes following the tragic loss of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet. The pair’s relationship begins to fracture as they traverse their grief in different ways — Agnes the angry mother and Will the absent father. Jessie Buckley is the presumptive best actress front-runner heading into the Oscars for her moving portrayal of Agnes. Noticeably snubbed, however, was Paul Mescal for his rendering of Shakespeare. “Hamnet” also landed nominations for original score, adapted screenplay, costume and production design, direction and for casting, a brand-new category introduced at this year’s awards. Addison Cinema, AMC Evanston 12, AMC Naperville 16, AMC NEWCITY 14, AMC Northbrook 14, AMC River East 21, AMC Roosevelt Collection 16, AMC South Barrington 24, AMC Streets of Woodfield 20, AMC Village Crossing 18, AMC Yorktown 18, Cinemark Century Deer Park 16, Cinemark Seven Bridges, Elgin Cinema, FACETS Film Forum, Gurnee Mills Cinema, Landmark Century Centre Cinema, Landmark at The Glen, Orland Park Cinema, Regal Bolingbrook, Regal City North, Regal Crystal Lake Showplace Jessie Buckley, center, in a scene from "Hamnet." (Agata Grzybowska/Focus Features via AP) “Marty Supreme” Josh Safdie returns to the director’s chair for his first feature film since 2019’s “Uncut Gems.” “Marty Supreme” chronicles nine months in the life of a table tennis pro on a quest to become the face of the emerging sport in 1950s America. In all, “Marty Supreme” racked up nine nominations, with Safdie recognized for his directing, writing and editing — the latter two joint efforts between him and frequent collaborator Ronald Bronstein. Other nominations were for casting, cinematography and costume and production design. But one of the biggest questions hanging over the awards show is whether the three-times-nominated Timothée Chalamet will finally take home the golden statue for best actor. Addison Cinema, AMC Evanston 12, AMC Naperville 16, AMC NEWCITY 14, AMC Northbrook 14, AMC River East 21, AMC Roosevelt Collection 16, AMC South Barrington 24, AMC Streets of Woodfield 20, AMC Village Crossing 18, AMC Yorktown 18, Cinemark Century Deer Park 16, Cinemark Seven Bridges, Elgin Cinema, Gurnee Mills Cinema, Orland Park Cinema, Regal Bolingbrook, Regal City North, Regal Crystal Lake Showplace “One Battle After Another” Paul Thomas Anderson’s revolutionary action comedy has received lots of buzz this awards season. The Oscars were no different, with the film snagging 13 nominations. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a former member of a left-wing extremist group and father to teenage daughter Willa. Their relationship is tested when bad guys from Bob’s past come knocking, including Col. Lockjaw, a weird-walking, gruff-talking Sean Penn. Teyana Taylor stars as Willa’s mother. “One Battle After Another” collected nominations for writing, directing, casting, film editing, cinematography, sound, score and production design. Its star-studded cast also got nods across almost every acting category, with DiCaprio for leading actor, Taylor for actress in a supporting role, and Penn and Benicio del Toro duking it out for supporting actor. Chase Infiniti, a graduate of Columbia College Chicago, played Willa but was not nominated. Addison Cinema, AMC Evanston 12, AMC Naperville 16, AMC NEWCITY 14, AMC Northbrook 14, AMC River East 21, AMC Roosevelt Collection 16, AMC South Barrington 24, AMC Streets of Woodfield 20, AMC Village Crossing 18, AMC Yorktown 18, Cinemark Century Deer Park 16, Cinemark Seven Bridges, Elgin Cinema, Gurnee Mills Cinema, Orland Park Cinema, Regal Bolingbrook, Regal City North, Regal Crystal Lake Showplace Leonardo DiCaprio in a scene from “One Battle After Another.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP) “The Secret Agent” “The Secret Agent” has been both a critical and commercial success, particularly for its home country of Brazil. An early festival favorite, director Kleber Mendonça Filho’s political thriller has won acclaim everywhere, from Cannes to the Chicago International Film Festival. The film is set in 1970s Brazil — a country under military dictatorship and during a “period of great mischief,” as the opening title card indicates. We follow Wagner Moura as a university professor and widower as he travels to his hometown of Recife during Carnival, navigating past revelers and suspecting eyes. The role landed Moura a best actor nod, a first in the category for a Brazilian actor. “The Secret Agent” was also recognized for its casting and is a contender for international feature film. Brazil has the chance to mint back-to-back wins after “I’m Still Here” took home that prize last year. Addison Cinema, AMC Evanston 12, AMC Naperville 16, AMC NEWCITY 14, AMC Northbrook 14, AMC River East 21, AMC Roosevelt Collection 16, AMC South Barrington 24, AMC Streets of Woodfield 20, AMC Village Crossing 18, AMC Yorktown 18, Cinemark Century Deer Park 16, Cinemark Seven Bridges, Elgin Cinema, Gurnee Mills Cinema, Orland Park Cinema, Regal Bolingbrook, Regal City North, Regal Crystal Lake Showplace “Sentimental Value” Norway’s “Sentimental Value” is the only other international film to make the best picture list. Sisters Nora and Agnes, played by Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleas, reunite with their estranged film director father, played by Stellan Skarsgård, after their mother’s death. The cast received a slew of acting nominations, with Skarsgård up for best supporting actor, Elle Fanning and Lilleas both nominated for supporting actress, and Reinsve tapped for lead actress. “Sentimental Value” was also credited for directing, original screenplay and editing, collecting nine nominations in all. Addison Cinema, AMC Evanston 12, AMC Naperville 16, AMC NEWCITY 14, AMC Northbrook 14, AMC River East 21, AMC Roosevelt Collection 16, AMC South Barrington 24, AMC Streets of Woodfield 20, AMC Village Crossing 18, AMC Yorktown 18, Cinemark Century Deer Park 16, Cinemark Seven Bridges, Elgin Cinema, Gurnee Mills Cinema, Orland Park Cinema, Regal Bolingbrook, Regal City North, Regal Crystal Lake Showplace Renate Reinsve, left, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas in a scene from “Sentimental Value.” (Kasper Tuxen/Neon via AP) “Sinners” With a record-breaking 16 nominations, director Ryan Coogler’s Southern gothic epic stars Michael B. Jordan in the roles of identical twins Smoke and Stack, two charismatic criminals with a reputation that follows them from Prohibition-era Chicago back to their hometown in the Mississippi Delta. While setting up a juke joint with the help of their musically gifted cousin Sammie (played by Miles Caton in his film debut), a trio of vampires takes over the celebration. “Sinners” is currently neck-and-neck (some pun intended) with “One Battle After Another” as a favorite to win the majority of this year’s accolades. Out of its nominations, the film was recognized for directing, original screenplay, original score and original song. Jordan received his first Academy Award nomination for best actor, while Delroy Lindo earned a best supporting actor nod. Oh, and make sure you stick around for the post-credit scene starring Buddy Guy. Addison Cinema, AMC Evanston 12, AMC Naperville 16, AMC NEWCITY 14, AMC Northbrook 14, AMC River East 21, AMC Roosevelt Collection 16, AMC South Barrington 24, AMC Streets of Woodfield 20, AMC Village Crossing 18, AMC Yorktown 18, Cinemark Century Deer Park 16, Cinemark Seven Bridges, Elgin Cinema, Gurnee Mills Cinema, Orland Park Cinema, Regal Bolingbrook, Regal City North, Regal Crystal Lake Showplace “Train Dreams” Adapted from Denis Johnson’s novella of the same name, “Train Dreams” spans the life of a logger in the Pacific Northwest at the turn of the 20th century who has to learn to live with loss and is haunted by memories as he’s forced to rebuild his life. Other than best picture, the film picked up nominations for best cinematography, original song and adapted screenplay. Addison Cinema, AMC Evanston 12, AMC Naperville 16, AMC NEWCITY 14, AMC Northbrook 14, AMC River East 21, AMC Roosevelt Collection 16, AMC South Barrington 24, AMC Streets of Woodfield 20, AMC Village Crossing 18, AMC Yorktown 18, Cinemark Century Deer Park 16, Cinemark Seven Bridges, Elgin Cinema, Gurnee Mills Cinema, Landmark at The Glen, Orland Park Cinema, Regal Bolingbrook, Regal City North, Regal Crystal Lake Showplace ...read more read less