Online betting sites have updated their odds for the 94th Academy Awards, and with just days remaining until the winners are announced, the current odds should give a good indication as to who will come out on top in each category.
The Power of the Dog leads the way in the Best Picture market, with some firms offering 4/6 about the Western which was released worldwide on Netflix on December 1st, 2021.
CODA is the other main contender for the most prestigious honour of the night, with odds now around 6/5 having been as big as 40/1 with some of the top UK betting sites in early January.
Sian Heder’s debut feature won the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures at the PGA Awards on March 19th, and given the correlation between that accolade and the top prize at the Oscars, it’s no surprise that CODA has gathered even more steam in the betting market in recent days.
Belfast, which was right in the mix at 2/1 at the turn of the year, is now a 10/1 shot and seemingly an outside bet although not to be ruled out.
King Richard (33/1), West Side Story (33/1), and Dune (40/1) are also unlikely to take the Best Picture award, while Don’t Look Up, Licorice Pizza, Drive My Car, and Nightmare Alley each have even longer odds.
But those outsiders do stand a great chance in other categories, including Best Actor, for which Will Smith looks a shoo-in at 1/8 thanks to his portrayal of Richard Williams – father of Venus and Serena – in the biographical sports drama, King Richard.
Looking similarly comfortable is Ariana DeBose in the Best Supporting Actress category. Some bookmakers have her at 1/20 to add an Academy Award to her already long list of associations for her role in West Side Story.
Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye) is a strong favorite for Best Actress with odds of 3/5 but this is still one of the more wide-open categories, with Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos), Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter), and Kirsten Stewart (Spencer) all priced in single figures.
The Best Supporting Actor category looks to be a straight shootout between Troy Kotsur (CODA) and Kodi Smith-McPhee (The Power of the Dog), with the former having the upper hand at odds of 1/5.
While Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog faces stiff competition for Best Picture, there is little to no doubt that the New Zealander will secure Best Director honours. Unibet have priced her at 1/100 for that prize, meaning if you were to bet £100 on it, you would win just £1!
Also at very short odds are Encanto (Best Animated Feature Film), Drive My Car (Best International Feature Film), Cruella (Best Costume Design), and the multi-award-winning Dune (Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, and more).
