For the first time this awards season, Michael B. Jordan is the bookies’ favourite to win Best Actor at the Oscars.
It has been a long award season, but the final curtain call has taken its latest twist amidst online controversy.
Film News Blitz’s Oscar Trinick has more on this latest turn of odds.
How the tables have turned
Up until the past few weeks, it has been all Timothee Chalamet this awards season in the Best Actor category.
The Marty Supreme actor has picked up wins at Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, with nominations in the Actor Awards, the BAFTAs and now the Oscars.
Up until the night of the BAFTAs, Michael B. Jordan’s chances looked completely done.
Then, on that night, Robert Aramayo went and took the award from underneath both of them, and since then, Timothee Chalamet’s chances have started to slip away.
Michael B. Jordan’s chances completely shifted when he won the Actor Award for outstanding male actor in a leading role.
Despite Timothee facing online backlash for his comments about opera and ballet, the win for the Sinners actor is proving to be the latest turning point in this seemingly endless award season.
READ MORE: 2026 Oscars: Screenplay betting tips and odds

Michael B. Jordan to win Best Actor at 8/13 (Sky Bet)
After updated odds, Michael B. Jordan is now in pole position for the Academy Award. So, is there anything that Chalamet can do to change his fate?
His odds to win are at 6/4, but as of March 5, voting is now closed, with only a few days to go until the coveted ceremony.
Speculations online say that the recent backlash against Chalamet might hinder his chances to win, but as voting closed a week ago, the backlash may not have played as pivotal a role as one would think.
The power of Michael B. Jordan’s performance, though, still can’t be understated.
The Secret Agent’s Wagner Moura sits in third at 12/1 odds, One Battle After Another’s Leonardo DiCaprio sits in fourth with 18/1 odds, and Blue Moon’s Ethan Hawke comes in at fifth with 33/1 odds.
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