Joker Leads Oscar Nominations with 11, See the Odds for How Many It Will Win

• This year’s Academy Awards nominations sees Todd Phillips’ Joker leading the pack with 11 nods
• Joker defied odds as a comic book movie that won over the Academy
• Joker star Joaquin Phoenix is predicted to win Best Actor for his performance as the title character

On January 13, 2020, nominations were announced for the 92nd Academy Awards, which will take place on Feb 9th. This year, Todd Phillips’ gripping action drama Joker received 11 nominations, leading the pack.

Joker defied the odds when you consider it’s a comic book adaptation. Typically, the Academy Awards tend to go for a more highbrow films. This year’s nominees definitely have a fill of the typical nominees such as the dramatic Marriage Story or the industry self-congratulating Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

But Joker really sets itself apart from the pack. With nearly a month before the ceremony, there is still plenty of time to see how odds unfold for the technical categories. Already, odds are in place for the major categories.  For now, here’s how Joker’s odds look in the main categories in sportsbooks.

Nominations and Odds for Todd Phillips’ Joker

Odds taken Jan. 13th

Big Wins for This Clown

It’s not exactly news that Joaquin Phoenix has been applauded for his performance in Joker. His performance was beloved by critics and fans alike, and he’s most likely going to be walking home with this award. He’s leading the odds in Best Actor in a Leading Role by a wide margin.

Although there are no odds yet in place for most of the technical categories, guesses can be made for how Joker will fare. It has a great shot in the fields of Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.

This loud blockbuster featured a gamut of emotions, tones, and vibes throughout. Given that the sound team had to navigate their way through wild, violent frenzies all the way down to quiet and introspective moments, it’s impressive that they were able to do all ends of the spectrum.

The film was also beautifully shot and edited. The category of Best Film Editing is one where Joker blows its competition away, making it likely to see a victory in this category.

Fatter Chances

It’s very rare that a film with this many nominations will sweep.  The 2020 Oscar odds are showing Joker faring well in some categories, but definitely not all.

Todd Phillips is the least-likely nominee to take home Best Director out of the five. Sam Mendes is expected to snag a victory for epic war film 1917. Even if Mendes slips at the finish line, Bong Joon-ho or Quentin Tarantino will beat Phillips in this category.

Perspective: The Oscars love mediocrity. That’s why "Joker" got 11 nominations. https://t.co/PALlv8pyy2

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 14, 2020

But Best Director aside, does Joker still have a hope to win the coveted Best Picture honor? Probably not. Of this year’s nine nominees, Joker is sitting in fourth place, behind Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, 1917, and Parasite.

In fact, a lot of the categories Joker is up for are longshots. There are so many big competitors in the technical categories that would be worthwhile winners it seems unimaginable for Joker to even snag wins in half the categories it’s up for.

In the category for Best Adapted Screenplay, Joker faces some major competition. Greta Gerwig’s spin on Little Women will appeal to traditionalists while Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit fills the space for voters searching for avant-garde.

Congratulations to the incredible filmmakers and cast of #Joker on their 11 #OscarNoms, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. pic.twitter.com/enVn6twR2O

— Joker Movie (@jokermovie) January 13, 2020

You could say the same for Hair and Makeup. This is another example that shows for everything Joker can do, another film can do it a bit better. The transformative work in Judy, the fantasy smoke show of Maleficent, and the realism of Bombshell are all big contenders.