It’s Oscars time, and 10 films are in the running for best picture – Hollywood’s most prestigious prize.

Pundits predict either “Sinners” or “One Battle After Another” will triumph, but could the likes of “Hamnet” or “The Secret Agent” spring a surprise?

Here are the 10 nominees for best picture at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday:

‘Bugonia’

The latest pitch-black, absurdist offering from the director of “Poor Things” and “The Favourite,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia” dives headfirst into the untethered world of conspiracy theorists.

Jesse Plemons’ Teddy is convinced that Emma Stone’s big pharma CEO Michelle is really an evil alien, and coerces his guileless cousin into kidnapping her to prove his case and save the planet.

Could he possibly be right? And why are we rooting for him?

Lanthimos keeps us guessing until the jaw-dropping end. There will be no such suspense at the Oscars though, as “Bugonia” proved a little too much for the tastes of many Academy voters.

‘F1: The Movie’

The Academy likes to nominate one or two lavish blockbusters each year, rewarding movies that spend big and hire the industry’s best craftsmen to create that only-in-Hollywood magic.

This year, “F1: The Movie” – from the director behind “Top Gun: Maverick” – pipped “Avatar: Fire and Ash” to that best picture slot.

Starring Brad Pitt as a racing driver who just won’t quit, this is old-school filmmaking wrapped up in cutting-edge technology – and a hefty dose of Formula One product placement.

Its nomination was a surprise, and “F1” – which grossed $630 million at the box office worldwide – is not expected to make the top podium.

‘Frankenstein’

Oscars voters love Guillermo del Toro, showering him with statuettes for “The Shape of Water” and his animated “Pinocchio.” “Frankenstein” was the Mexican auteur’s decades-in-the-making passion project.

So it was little surprise the stately horror flick earned a pile of nominations, even with the lukewarm reviews it drew following its splashy Venice festival premiere last fall.

The film’s masterful costumes, makeup and sets are almost certain to win, but best picture looks like a stretch.

‘Hamnet’

If there is a genuine dark horse beyond the two runaway favorites, it is surely “Hamnet.”

Based on a novel imagining the grim, plague-ravaged lives of William Shakespeare and his wife, “Hamnet” ticks a lot of boxes – sumptuously shot, emotionally devastating filmmaking based on classy literary IP, and from an Academy Award-winning director in Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”).

It took the top prize at the influential Toronto film festival.

But decades after “Shakespeare in Love” stunningly took best picture, there seems little chance that the Bard will crash the party this time around.

‘Marty Supreme’

The semi-fictional tale of an international ping-pong champion, “Marty Supreme” rests entirely on the performance of Timothee Chalamet as its cocky protagonist.

Its Oscars chances reflect that.

Chalamet still has a strong shot at best actor, despite his well-documented recent controversies, but the film is unlikely to be crowned champion.

‘One Battle After Another’

Paul Thomas Anderson’s madcap thriller about a former revolutionary emerging from a decades-long drug and booze-addled haze to save his daughter has picked up one prize after another this season, making it the wire-to-wire frontrunner.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, it has already been named the year’s best movie by Hollywood’s producers and directors guilds, as well as top critics’ organizations and Britain’s BAFTAs.

Tackling timely topics from immigration raids to white supremacists, and packing an A-list cast including Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro, it is clearly the film to beat.

‘Sentimental Value’

Danish-Norwegian director Joachim Trier came onto the Academy’s radar with his stunning dark romantic drama “The Worst Person in the World.”

He returned with the same lead actress, Renate Reinsve, added a dose of Hollywood glamour with the casting of Elle Fanning, and wowed Oscars voters again to earn his first best picture nod.

A meta-movie about filmmakers and their families, “Sentimental Value” is a frontrunner for best international film, but is likely too introspective for the top prize.

‘Sinners’

With its wild blend of bloodthirsty vampires and bigots, blues music and Black folklore, “Sinners” has surged late in the Oscars race, and has a very strong chance of winning best picture.

Ryan Coogler’s crowd-pleasing and critically acclaimed vampire horror and race allegory surpassed all expectations following its relatively low-key release last April, earning $370 million at the global box office.

Momentum has built to a fever pitch with key wins from the Hollywood actors’ guild this month, including for star Michael B. Jordan, who plays gangster twins returning home to a supernatural 1930s Deep South.

It is rare for a horror movie to win big at this Oscars – but can anything stop this audacious, genre-defying blockbuster now?

‘The Secret Agent’

If “The Secret Agent” wins best international film Sunday, it would represent back-to-back wins for ever-rising cinema powerhouse Brazil.

But could it go a step further and claim best picture?

Probably not, but this chaotic thriller set against the backdrop of the country’s military dictatorship, which packs its own supernatural folkloric twist, is undoubtedly timely and has its ardent supporters.

‘Train Dreams’

A historically fascinating glimpse into the settling of the US Pacific Northwest, anchored on a tragic human story, “Train Dreams” is a beautifully composed slice of indie filmmaking.

It earned a massive boost when it was picked up in January 2025 at the Sundance festival by Netflix, which propelled it into the awards conversation with a typically smart and lavish campaign.

A nomination is already a win for “Train Dreams,” arguably the smallest film on the list.

Gulf News

In Mamma Mia, Meryl Streep portrayed Donna Sheridan, a single mother and independent hotel manager. Fans raved about her performance in the musical hit franchise.

But in the sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again: her character was revealed to have died. Though it was not shown how.

Now, as the third instalment is confirmed, according to Dame Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, questions are raised: would she make a comeback?

“If Meryl Streep would like to come back, we’ll find a way to bring her back,” the head responds to a question about the actress’ character’s return.

Further, the executive confirms the film has been greenlighted. “Yes, I’m going to say right now that there will be a Mamma Mia 3.”

Though, Langley insists the project is in an early phase, so there is no specific time when the movie will roll out in theatres. “We’re talking about it.”

Earlier, Amanda Seyfried, who played Sophie in the Mamma Mia franchise, said her character Sophie should be the third film’s focus.

The international News

Shakira to perform at Egypt’s iconic Pyramids of Giza in April

 Colombian pop star Shakira is set to perform live at the Pyramids of Giza on April 7, as part of her worldwide “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” tour, organisers said.

The concert is expected to draw a large audience to one of Egypt’s most iconic landmarks, with the global singer planning a visually ambitious production designed to match the scale and symbolism of the ancient site.

The show marks Shakira’s return to Egypt nearly two decades after her successful 2007 performance at the same venue as part of her Oral Fixation Tour, which at the time drew a large audience and widespread media coverage.

Shakira is expected to perform a selection of her most popular hits that have shaped her global career over the years, in a setting that blends music with history.

Gold, Silver Prices Make Olympic Medals Most Valuable in Modern History

It isn’t solid gold — but it’s never been worth more.

Athletes stepping onto the Winter Olympic podium in Italy this month are being draped in the most valuable medals in the Games’ modern history thanks to near record-high precious metal prices.

Since the Paris Summer Olympics started on July 26, 2024, spot gold prices have jumped roughly 110% to about $5,000 per ounce, while spot silver has surged about 180% hovering near $78 an ounce, according to FactSet data.

At current prices, the intrinsic or “melt value” of an Olympic gold medal — value based solely on the metals it contains — is roughly $2,300 to $2,500. Silver medals now carry a raw metal value of about $1,400.

Each gold medal handed out at this Olympics weighs in at about 506 grams, roughly 17.5 ounces, but only six grams of that total is pure gold.

Surprisingly, despite the name, Olympic gold medals are mostly silver. There hasn’t been a solid gold medal since the 1912 Stockholm Summer Olympics.

Under current International Olympic Committee guidelines, gold medals must consist of at least 92.5% silver and include a minimum of six grams of gold plating. Those six grams — about 0.2 ounces — are worth just over $1,000. The remaining silver core adds roughly $1,300 or more, depending on daily market swings.

Silver medals have about 500 grams of silver. Bronze medals, made primarily of copper and weighing in roughly 420 grams, carry only minimal intrinsic value at current commodity prices, worth just $5 to $6 in metal value.

Precious metal prices have climbed sharply over the past year as investors have poured money into traditional safe havens amid geopolitical instability, inflation concerns and ongoing economic uncertainty.

“The fundamentals and the tailwinds of this debasement trade are still in place, and the global central banks all over the world are acquirers of gold for the first time in many years,” Joe Terranova, a CNBC contributor and senior managing director for Virtus Investment Partners, said on CNBC’s Halftime Report Thursday. “You want to have some ownership.”

Even with bouts of volatility — including recent pullbacks over fears precious medal prices had overshot fundamentals — bullion remains near historic highs.

“The sell off [of precious metals] was attributable to excessive speculation,” Terranova said. “I don’t think it was attributable to any form of the shift in the fundamentals.”

Just this week, precious metals prices stabilized from that slip as investors assessed U.S.-Iran tensions and a drop in U.S. jobless claims that pointed to labor-market stability ahead of inflation data later this week.

Despite the soaring value of this year’s medals, they have been accompanied by an unexpected wrinkle.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Organizing Committee has acknowledged it’s looking into what is described as an “issue affecting a small number” of medals after several athletes reported broken ribbons or clasps during celebrations.

Organizers said they are working with the Italian State Mint to address the issue and repair affected medals.

CNBC

 Colombian pop star Shakira is set to perform live at the Pyramids of Giza on April 7, as part of her worldwide “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” tour, organisers said.

The concert is expected to draw a large audience to one of Egypt’s most iconic landmarks, with the global singer planning a visually ambitious production designed to match the scale and symbolism of the ancient site.

The show marks Shakira’s return to Egypt nearly two decades after her successful 2007 performance at the same venue as part of her Oral Fixation Tour, which at the time drew a large audience and widespread media coverage.

Shakira is expected to perform a selection of her most popular hits that have shaped her global career over the years, in a setting that blends music with history.