Oscars 2026: 'Mahavatar Narsimha', 'KPop Demon Hunters' among 300 films competing in Best Animation, Best Documentary and Best International Film categories

The Netflix cultural phenomenon 'KPop Demon Hunters' has leaped ahead from being recognised at major awards to officially securing its eligibility for the Best Animated Feature Film category at the upcoming 98th Academy Awards. Known for blending K-pop stardom with demon-slaying action and having a record-breaking viewership, the film is now one of 35 features vying for a coveted nomination. This major step confirms the film's successful qualifying theatrical run and sets the stage for a potential "golden moment" for the hit animation at the Oscars.

Films that made the cut

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released on Friday lists of all the films eligible for animated, documentary and international feature prizes at next year's Oscars.

How KPop Demon Hunters landed spot

Though "KPop Demon Hunters" made its name on Netflix, it also received a qualifying theatrical run in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco in June, which satisfied the film academy's requirements for Oscar consideration. Its UK theatrical run was not enough to qualify for the BAFTAs, however.

Films contending for Best Animation

Other animated titles that qualified for the Oscars animated feature category were Neon's "Arco," Disney's "Elio" and "Zootopia 2," GKids' "Little Amelie or the Character of Rain," Netflix's "In Your Dreams", India's hit film 'Mahavatar Narsimha' and Crunchyroll/Sony's "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle" and "Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc." Notably, the Chinese blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" was not among the 35 titles listed.

"KPop Demon Hunters," which Netflix has said is its most watched film of all time, has amassed more than 541 million hours viewed worldwide. It's the highest charting soundtrack of 2025 with eight of its songs landing on the Billboard Hot 100. It also made a splash in theaters in August where it was estimated to have made around $18 million (which would have topped the charts if Netflix released theatrical earnings) and got a subsequent release over Halloween weekend. Netflix won their first animated feature Oscar in 2022 for "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio."

Best Documentary

The documentary feature race recorded the largest volume of submissions, with 201 films in the running — the highest count among the three categories. Members of the documentary branch will vote to narrow the field to a shortlist of 15 titles, which will be revealed on December 16. Those 15 will later be reduced to the final five nominees.

Best Foreign Film

There are also 201 documentaries and 86 international features eligible, including "Homebound" (India), "Sentimental Value" (Norway), "Sirat" (Spain), "The Secret Agent" (Brazil), "It Was Just an Accident" (France), "The Voice of Hind Rajab" (Tunisia) and "My Father's Shadow" (United Kingdom). "2000 Meters to Andriivka," a co-production between the and PBS Frontline, is eligible in both categories. Both documentary and international titles will be winnowed to a 10-film shortlist that will be revealed on Dec. 16.

'Golden' to land Best Song nod

"KPop Demon Hunters" fans will have to wait for nomination morning on Jan. 22 to hear whether or not they made the cut for animated feature. It's largely expected to be a player in the original song category as well, where "Golden" is among the songs being submitted.

The 98th Oscars will air live on ABC on March 15 at 7 p.m.

Get an chance to win ₹5000 Amazon Voucher by taking part in India's Biggest Habit Index! Take the survey here