Critics’ Choice Awards 2025: Will The Brutalist Win Best Picture?

The awards season is heating up, and all eyes are on Brady Corbet’s acclaimed drama The Brutalist. After a dominant showing at the 2025 Golden Globes, where it won Best Drama, Best Actor for Adrien Brody, and Best Director, The Brutalist has cemented itself as the frontrunner for the Academy Awards. But first, it faces a critical test at the Critics’ Choice Awards.

The Brutalist’s Strong Momentum

Fresh off its success at the Golden Globes, The Brutalist heads into the Critics’ Choice Awards with tremendous momentum. The epic portrait of a Hungarian architect building a new life in post-war America has dazzled critics, earning near-universal praise.

According to experts, the Globes’ Best Drama category is one of the most reliable Oscars predictors. 40 of the 81 past Globe winners for Best Drama have gone on to score the Academy Award for Best Picture. This bodes well for The Brutalist’s Oscar hopes. Golden Globe winners like Oppenheimer (2024) and The Shape of Water (2018) repeated their success at the Oscars. The Brutalist will look to continue this trend.

Can The Brutalist Win Over Critics?

However, victory at the Critics’ Choice Awards is not guaranteed. The ceremony honors the year’s finest cinematic achievements as voted on by the Critics Choice Association, comprising over 500 media critics and journalists from the U.S. and Canada. Although The Brutalist earned nine Critics’ Choice nominations, topping the list along with fellow leading Oscar contender Conclave, winning the top prize will require impressing this influential voting body.

Based on nominees alone, the Critics’ Choice Best Picture race appears wide open. Acclaimed films like Sean Baker’s Anora, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, and Chinonye Chukwu’s Nickel Boys all scored nominations, presenting stiff competition. While The Brutalist is considered the frontrunner, surprises can always happen with a preferential ballot, where a film that polarizes critics has a tougher path to victory.

Will The Brutalist Win Best Picture at the Critics’ Choice Awards? 22bet21.com says it might with odds of 1.533/1 or 65.20%!

How a Loss Could Impact Oscar Chances

If The Brutalist falls short at the Critics’ Choice Awards, it doesn’t necessarily derail its Oscar hopes. But a loss would suggest the film lacks the broad critical support often needed to triumph under the Academy’s preferential system. Runner-up movies like Anora and Conclave could gain ground on Oscar night if consistently ranked higher on ballots.

While far from definitive, losing Critics’ Choice could see The Brutalist lose frontrunner status. Rival films may suddenly look more appealing to Oscar voters and industry peers. With voting for Oscar nominations closing just days after the Critics’ Choice Awards on January 13, perceptions could be skewed if The Brutalist underperforms expectations.

But nothing is guaranteed during awards season, where buzz builds and fades weekly. The Critics’ Choice Awards will provide crucial insight into how favorably The Brutalist is viewed by expert voters. A win reaffirms its frontrunner status on the path to Oscar glory. A loss cracks the door ajar for an Anora or Conclave to potentially sneak through. One thing is certain: when the Critics’ Choice Awards air on January 12, all eyes will be on whether The Brutalist can further fuel its Oscar momentum.