Critics Choice: ‘Anora’ Wins Best Picture; ‘Emilia Pérez,’ ‘Wicked’ and ‘The Substance’ Take 3 Awards Each

Anora won the top prize of best picture at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, while Emilia Pérez, Wicked and The Substance each captured three trophies.

The Brutalist star Adrien Brody won best actor; Demi Moore won best actress for her work in The Substance; Emilia Pérez actress Zoe Saldaña won best supporting actress and A Real Pain‘s Kieran Culkin, who wasn’t in attendance, won best supporting actor.

Emilia Pérez, currently dealing with the fallout from controversial, recently resurfaced tweets by star and best actress Oscar nominee Karla Sofía Gascón, won two other awards at the ceremony, voting for which closed on Jan. 10, well before Gascón’s past posts emerged. The mood within Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar, where the awards took place, was relatively somber with each win for the Netflix musical. Still, the film took home awards for best foreign language film and best song in addition to Saldaña’s trophy.

By contrast, what sounded like some of the loudest cheering and applause of the evening, at least for a film winner, came when Wicked helmer Jon M. Chu scored a surprise win for best director. Chu was notably left out of the best director Oscar nominees and quipped from the Critics Choice stage, “I’m gonna win that Oscar.”

Wicked also won awards for production design and costume design.

In addition to Moore’s win, The Substance captured the awards for best original screenplay and best hair and makeup. The best adapted screenplay award went to Conclave, which also won for best acting ensemble. Challengers, notably snubbed by the Oscars, and A Real Pain, each won two awards, but one of the Real Pain honors was a tie for the best comedy win with Deadpool & Wolverine.

In the TV categories, Shogun won a leading four awards, including best drama series, followed by Hacks, with three awards, including best comedy series. The limited series award went to Baby Reindeer.

Chelsea Handler hosted the Critics Choice Awards, which was both celebratory and featured a number of references to the recent Los Angeles wildfires.

Handler kicked off the evening on a serious note, addressing the devastation caused by the fires and thanking first responders for their work battling the blazes. Standing in the ballroom near a table of L.A.’s first responders, Handler quickly earned a standing ovation when she thanked them for their efforts.

“What we saw and the scope of loss has been almost impossible to imagine,” she said, adding that throughout the evening a QR code onscreen would allow viewers to donate to those affected by the fires, in keeping with the Grammys and other awards shows using the star-studded gatherings in part to raise money for relief efforts.

During the show, numerous winners — including Colin Farrell, Kathy Bates and Shogun‘s Hiroyuki Sanada — used their time onstage to thank the firefighters and first responders.

The L.A. wildfires left at least 29 people dead and destroyed more than 16,000 structures as the blazes burned more than 60 square miles.

But when it came time for her monologue, Handler leaned into political commentary, introducing herself as the “DEI host” for the evening.

And Handler again spoke about the troubling recent times both in L.A. and the U.S. at large, talking about waking up and not being sure “what news will disappoint and horrify us.” But she was grateful, she joked, for the “distraction” of the ongoing legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, extending her “gratitude” to both of them.

Handler went on to highlight some of this year’s nominees, including Wicked and stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Babygirl and star Nicole Kidman and Anora and star Mikey Madison, joking that the latter film was Melania Trump’s story.

Near the end of her monologue, Handler referenced Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s wife, saying of the night’s nominees, “Some of you will win, some will lose, some will question your life choices like Cheryl Hines at a Senate confirmation hearing.”

The Critics Choice Association presented the first three supporting TV awards together, with both the supporting actor and actress winners taking the stage at the same time, which the first pair of winners, Shrinking‘s Michael Urie and Hacks‘ Hannah Einbinder, played up, speaking in unison before they each took their turn at the mic.

During their simultaneous comments they declared, “trans lives matter,” and Urie spoke about how his parents supported him and his sister when they came out as queer and thanked all of those who support queer kids.

The remarks come as President Donald Trump’s administration has targeted the trans community with numerous executive orders. Earlier this week, Lady Gaga expressed her support for trans individuals at the 2025 Grammys, as awards shows seem to be getting more political shortly into Trump’s second term.

Einbinder also called for action during her solo speech, speaking out about climate change, saying in part, “We are on the brink of a really dark era of climate denial. … The fossil fuel industry is responsible for the [climate] crisis, and they need to pay for the mess that they made.”

Later, when Hacks won best comedy series, co-showrunner and actor Paul W. Downs called for increasing film and TV production in Los Angeles, where Hacks shoots.

“This is an industry town, and we should have more productions in L.A.,” he said in part.

Conclave and Wicked went into the ceremony leading this year’s film nominees with 11 nods each, including for the top prize of best picture. Dune: Part Two and Emilia Pérez each landed 10 nods, followed by The Brutalist with nine and Anora and The Substance with seven nominations each.

In the TV categories, Shogun was the most nominated program with six nods, followed by Abbott Elementary, Disclaimer, Hacks, The Diplomat, The Penguin and What We Do In the Shadows, all of which garnered four nominations.

The show aired on E! from 7-10 p.m. ET/PT, having moved to the NBCUniversal cable network from its previous home of The CW. The ceremony was originally scheduled to take place Jan. 14, but due to the wildfires raging across Los Angeles, it was postponed to Jan. 26 and then pushed again to Feb. 7.

E! also happens to be the former network home of Handler’s late-night talk show, Chelsea Lately. Asked if she feels like she can get away with more on E! than on The CW, Handler recently told The Hollywood Reporter: “Not necessarily. I’m pretty good at getting away with what I need to get away with — wherever I am. This one is just especially fun because I’m returning to an ex-lover I broke up with so many years ago.”

Handler referenced her time hosting Chelsea Lately at the top of Friday night’s show, saying that 10 years ago she was the only woman with a show on late night. “Look how far we’ve come,” she said, joking that the fictional Hacks late-night talk show storyline is the closest Hollywood gets to giving a woman a late-night talk show.

A complete list of this year’s Critics Choice Awards winners follows.

Best Picture

A Complete Unknown
Anora (WINNER)
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing
The Substance
Wicked

Best Actor

Adrien Brody – The Brutalist (WINNER)
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Hugh Grant – Heretic

Best Actress

Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance (WINNER)

Best Supporting Actor

Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain (WINNER)
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

Best Supporting Actress

Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez (WINNER)

Best Young Actor / Actress

Alyla Browne – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Elliott Heffernan – Blitz
Maisy Stella – My Old Ass (WINNER)
Izaac Wang – Didi
Alisha Weir – Abigail
Zoe Ziegler – Janet Planet

Best Acting Ensemble

Anora
Conclave (WINNER)
Emilia Pérez
Saturday Night
Sing Sing
Wicked

Best Director

Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker – Anora
Edward Berger – Conclave
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Jon M. Chu – Wicked (WINNER)
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two

Best Original Screenplay

Sean Baker – Anora
Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, Alex David – September 5
Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold – The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance (WINNER)
Justin Kuritzkes – Challengers

Best Adapted Screenplay

Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox – Wicked
Greg Kwedar, Clint Bentley – Sing Sing
RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes – Nickel Boys
Peter Straughan – Conclave (WINNER)
Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts – Dune: Part Two

Best Cinematography

Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu (WINNER)
Alice Brooks – Wicked
Lol Crawley – The Brutalist
Stéphane Fontaine – Conclave
Greig Fraser – Dune: Part Two
Jomo Fray – Nickel Boys

Best Production Design

Judy Becker, Patricia Cuccia – The Brutalist
Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales – Wicked (WINNER)
Suzie Davies – Conclave
Craig Lathrop – Nosferatu
Arthur Max, Jille Azis, Elli Griff – Gladiator II
Patrice Vermette, Shane Vieau – Dune: Part Two

Best Editing

Sean Baker – Anora
Marco Costa – Challengers (WINNER)
Nick Emerson – Conclave
David Jancso – The Brutalist
Joe Walker – Dune: Part Two
Hansjörg Weißbrich – September 5

Best Costume Design

Lisy Christl – Conclave
Linda Muir – Nosferatu
Massimo Cantini Parrini – Maria
Paul Tazewell – Wicked (WINNER)
Jacqueline West – Dune: Part Two
Janty Yates, Dave Crossman – Gladiator II

Best Hair and Makeup

Christine Blundell, Lesa Warrener, Neal Scanlan – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Hair and Makeup Team – Dune: Part Two
Hair and Makeup Team – The Substance (WINNER)
Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, Laura Blount – Wicked
Traci Loader, Suzanne Stokes-Munton, David White – Nosferatu
Mike Marino, Sarah Graalman, Aaron Saucier – A Different Man

Best Visual Effects

Mark Bakowski, Pietro Ponti, Nikki Penny, Neil Corbould – Gladiator II
Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould, David Shirk – Wicked
Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, Gerd Nefzer – Dune: Part Two (WINNER)
Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft, Peter Stubbs – Better Man
Visual Effects Team – The Substance
Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story, Rodney Burke – Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Best Animated Feature

Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot (WINNER)

Best Comedy

A Real Pain (WINNER – TIE)
Deadpool & Wolverine (WINNER – TIE)
Hit Man
My Old Ass
Saturday Night
Thelma

Best Foreign Language Film

All We Imagine as Light
Emilia Pérez (WINNER)
Flow
I’m Still Here
Kneecap
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Song

“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl – Miley Cyrus
“Compress / Repress” – Challengers – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
“El Mal” – Emilia Pérez – Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Camille (WINNER)
“Harper and Will Go West” – Will & Harper – Kristen Wiig
“Kiss the Sky” – The Wild Robot – Maren Morris
“Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez – Selena Gomez

Best Score

Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Clément Ducol & Camille – Emilia Pérez
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers (WINNER)
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two

Best Drama Series

The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)
The Diplomat (Netflix)
Evil (Paramount+)
Industry (HBO | Max)
Interview with the Vampire (AMC)
The Old Man (FX)
Shogun (FX / Hulu) (WINNER)
Slow Horses (Apple TV+)

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Jeff Bridges – The Old Man (FX)
Ncuti Gatwa – Doctor Who (Disney+)
Eddie Redmayne – The Day of the Jackal (Peacock)
Hiroyuki Sanada – Shogun (FX / Hulu) (WINNER)
Rufus Sewell – The Diplomat (Netflix)
Antony Starr – The Boys (Prime Video)

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Caitriona Balfe – Outlander (Starz)
Kathy Bates – Matlock (CBS) (WINNER)
Shanola Hampton – Found (NBC)
Keira Knightley – Black Doves (Netflix)
Keri Russell – The Diplomat (Netflix)
Anna Sawai – Shogun (FX / Hulu)

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Tadanobu Asano – Shogun (FX / Hulu) (WINNER)
Michael Emerson – Evil (Paramount+)
Mark-Paul Gosselaar – Found (NBC)
Takehiro Hira – Shogun (FX / Hulu)
John Lithgow – The Old Man (FX)
Sam Reid – Interview with the Vampire (AMC)

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Moeka Hoshi – Shogun (FX / Hulu) (WINNER)
Allison Janney – The Diplomat (Netflix)
Nicole Kidman – Special Ops: Lioness (Paramount+)
Skye P. Marshall – Matlock (CBS)
Anna Sawai – Pachinko (Apple TV+)
Fiona Shaw – Bad Sisters (Apple TV+)

Best Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (ABC)
English Teacher (FX)
Hacks (HBO | Max) (WINNER)
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Somebody Somewhere (HBO | Max)
St. Denis Medical (NBC)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Brian Jordan Alvarez – English Teacher (FX)
Adam Brody – Nobody Wants This (Netflix) (WINNER)
David Alan Grier – St. Denis Medical (NBC)
Steve Martin – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Kayvan Novak – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Kristen Bell – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Natasia Demetriou – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Bridget Everett – Somebody Somewhere (HBO | Max)
Jean Smart – Hacks (HBO | Max) (WINNER)
Kristen Wiig – Palm Royale (Apple TV+)

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Paul W. Downs – Hacks (HBO | Max)
Asher Grodman – Ghosts (CBS)
Harvey Guillén – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Brandon Scott Jones – Ghosts (CBS)
Michael Urie – Shrinking (Apple TV+) (WINNER)
Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Liza Colón-Zayas – The Bear (FX / Hulu)
Hannah Einbinder – Hacks (HBO | Max) (WINNER)
Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Stephanie Koenig – English Teacher (FX)
Patti LuPone – Agatha All Along (Disney+)
Annie Potts – Young Sheldon (CBS)

Best Limited Series

Baby Reindeer (Netflix) (WINNER)
Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
Masters of the Air (Apple TV+)
Mr Bates vs the Post Office (PBS)
The Penguin (HBO | Max)
Ripley (Netflix)
True Detective: Night Country (HBO | Max)
We Were the Lucky Ones (Hulu)

Best Movie Made for Television

The Great Lillian Hall (HBO | Max)
It’s What’s Inside (Netflix)
Música (Prime Video)
Out of My Mind (Disney+)
Rebel Ridge (Netflix) (WINNER)
V/H/S/Beyond (Shudder)

Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Colin Farrell – The Penguin (HBO | Max) (WINNER)
Richard Gadd – Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
Tom Hollander – FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)
Kevin Kline – Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
Ewan McGregor – A Gentleman in Moscow (Paramount+)
Andrew Scott – Ripley (Netflix)

Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Cate Blanchett – Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
Jodie Foster – True Detective: Night Country (HBO | Max)
Jessica Lange – The Great Lillian Hall (HBO | Max)
Cristin Milioti – The Penguin (HBO | Max) (WINNER)
Phoebe-Rae Taylor – Out of My Mind (Disney+)
Naomi Watts – FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Robert Downey Jr. – The Sympathizer (HBO | Max)
Hugh Grant – The Regime (HBO | Max)
Ron Cephas Jones – Genius: MLK/X (National Geographic)
Logan Lerman – We Were the Lucky Ones (Hulu)
Liev Schreiber – The Perfect Couple (Netflix) (WINNER)
Treat Williams – FEUD: Capote vs. The Swans (FX)

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Dakota Fanning – Ripley (Netflix)
Leila George – Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
Betty Gilpin – Three Women (Starz)
Jessica Gunning – Baby Reindeer (Netflix) (WINNER)
Deirdre O’Connell – The Penguin (HBO | Max)
Kali Reis – True Detective: Night Country (HBO | Max)

Best Foreign Language Series

Acapulco (Apple TV+)
Citadel: Honey Bunny (Prime Video)
La Máquina (Hulu)
The Law According to Lidia Poët (Netflix)
My Brilliant Friend (HBO | Max)
Pachinko (Apple TV+)
Senna (Netflix)
Squid Game (Netflix) (WINNER)

Best Animated Series

Batman: Caped Crusader (Prime Video)
Bluey (Disney+)
Bob’s Burgers (Fox)
Invincible (Prime Video)
The Simpsons (Fox)
X-Men ’97 (Disney+) (WINNER)

Best Talk Show

Hot Ones (YouTube)
The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
The Graham Norton Show (BBC America)
John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A. (Netflix) (WINNER)
The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC/Syndicated)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)

Best Comedy Special

Ali Wong: Single Lady (Netflix) (WINNER)
Jim Gaffigan: The Skinny (Hulu)
Kevin James: Irregardless (Prime Video)
Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die (HBO | Max)
Rachel Bloom: Death, Let Me Do My Special (Netflix)
Ramy Youssef: More Feelings (HBO | Max)

This story was first published on Feb. 7 at 4:04 p.m.