The motion picture academy made it a little easier in 2021 to predict the winners by combining Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing into one category: Best Sound. Both sound mixers and sound editors are recognized in the combined category. Up to six statuettes will be awarded to one production sound mixer, two supervising sound editors and three re-recording mixers. The inaugural winner of Best Sound was, appropriately enough “Sound of Metal.” In 2022 this prize went to “Dune” while “Top Gun: Maverick” won in 2023. The reigning champ is “The Zone of Interest.” (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2025 Oscar predictions for Best Sound.)
The sound branch determines the nominees in two stages. First, members of the branch cast preferential ballots with the top 10 vote-getters, announced on December 17, moving on to the second stage. Members who attend screenings of excerpts from these 10 semi-finalists or attest that they have seen them cast preferential ballots and the top five films are nominated.
It can be difficult to differentiate the sound mixing of a film from the sound editing. While the members of the sound branch are experts in the two fields, the rest of the Oscar voters may not be as versed. Sound editing is the art of putting together the various pieces of the sound track (dialogue, effects, ADR and foley) Sound mixing adjusts the overall sound and score levels throughout the film.
The two sound awards often went to the same film, with 10 double champs this century: “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2019), “Dunkirk” (2018), “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2016), “Gravity” (2014), “Hugo” (2012), “Inception” (2011), “The Hurt Locker” (2010), “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2008), “King Kong” (2006) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2004). All of these double dippers featured extensive action sequences complete with explosions, crashes, and clanging metal.
Please note: To read full descriptions of each film, check out our 2025 Oscars Best Picture predictions.
UPDATED: July 23, 2024
LEADING CONTENDERS
“Blitz” (Apple Original Films)
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (Warner Bros./Universal)
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)
“Twisters” (Universal)
“Wicked” (Universal)
STRONG CONTENDERS
“A Quiet Place: Day One” (Paramount Pictures)
“Alien: Romulus” (20th Century Studios)
“Challengers” (Amazon MGM Studios/Warner Bros.)
“Civil War” (A24)
“Here” (Sony Pictures)
“Joker: Folie à Deux” (Warner Bros.)
“Nosferatu” (Focus Features/Universal)
POSSIBLE CONTENDERS
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (Warner Bros.)
“Emilia Pérez” (Pathé)
“Horizon: An American Saga” (Warner Bros.)
“Maria” (TBC)
“Megalopolis” (Lionsgate)
“Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios)
“The Piano Lesson” (Netflix)
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