How To Watch The 2019 Best Picture Oscar Nominees

It’s almost time for the 91st annual Academy Awards and the questions about how this year’s show will pan out are arguably at an all-time high. With no host on the books, presenters more representative of the zeitgeist than ever before (with the Academy still using previous winners but not as liberally), and a limited number of musical performances — to name just a few noticeable changes — we’re not sure what we can expect from the 2019 Oscars.

However, when it comes to the Best Picture category, the race is as heated as it ever was thanks to a category absolutely stacked with incredible films. This year, the eight Best Picture nominees are Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, Green Book, Roma, A Star Is Born and Vice. Some of these films, like Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, and Green Book, have already cleaned up in major categories at this year’s previous award shows, including the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. It remains to be seen whether the past wins are a solid predictor of success at the Oscars, but we can’t count anyone out at this point in the race.

Each film brings to the table a different kind of appeal. Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody and A Star Is Born were bold crowd-pleasers with punchy visuals and performances to match; BlacKkKlansman, Green Book and Vice had politically-minded bones to pick and took viewers back to charged moments in U.S. history that still resonate today; Roma and The Favourite were period dramas loosely based on autobiographical or historical events that gave us female characters to cheer for, cry with, and study closely. Choosing a winner out of this pack will be tough.

So, before the Oscars airs at 8pm EST/7pm CST on ABC on Feb. 24, make sure you check out all the Best Picture nominees — there’s still time! Here’s how you can check them out right now.

Black Panther

Marvel’s Black Panther is one of two Best Picture nominees that is luckily pretty easy to watch. If you’re one of the many folks with access to a Netflix account, then you can stream it there for free right now. You can head over to YouTube Movies and rent the film for $2.99. Or, if you want to check it out in theaters, Black Panther is back in theaters for a limited, pre-Oscars run, so check local listings to see if it’s playing near you. No matter which way you choose to watch, you don’t want to skip this one, especially since it’s the first superhero film to be nominated for a Best Picture award — ever.

BlacKkKlansman

If you missed Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman when it hit theaters back in August 2018, fear not. BlacKkKlansman is still in theaters, so check here to see where it’s playing near you. Additionally, you can check out the Best Picture nominee over on YouTube Movies or Prime Video. Both streaming platforms offer the film to rent for $5.99 and you can’t go wrong either way because you absolutely must see why this movie, which is based on an incredible true story, got the nomination.

Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody, which charts the rise of rock band Queen from their early days to their icon concert at Live Aid in 1985, is luckily still in theaters because it only came out at the end of December and we’re at the tail end of its run. If you’re interested in seeing the film — or you’re curious to see Rami Malek in his already heavily awarded performance as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury — then you can purchase your tickets here.

The Favourite

Ahead of the Oscars, Best Picture nominee The Favourite, starring Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone (all have respectively been nominated in the top acting categories, too), is in a bit of a limbo period. It’s available for pre-order on YouTube Movies and Prime Video if you’re looking to add it to your collection but it’s slowly being phased out of theaters, so check here to see if your local theater still has showtimes. If it does, we’d urge you to absolutely get tickets so you can see why this film has gotten the Best Picture nomination for yourself.

Roma

Like Black Panther, Alfonso Cuaron’s stunning, sweeping, and semi-autobiographical film Roma is available to view right now, for free, on Netflix. Because Netflix has exclusive distributing rights to the film, it is only available on this major streaming platform if that’s how you prefer to watch it. However, if you prefer a big screen viewing experience, Roma is still enjoying a limited run in select theaters, so check local listings to see if there’s a show near you.

Green Book

Similar to The Favourite, Best Picture nominee Green Book is still enjoying a run in theaters following its November release. Check out local listings here and purchase tickets if you’re looking to see Best Supporting Actor nominee Mahershala Ali and Best Actor nominee Viggo Mortensen in this stirring historical drama based on a true story about accomplished black pianist Don Shirley as he makes his way through the 1960s South with the help of his white driver, Tony “Lip” Vallelonga.

A Star Is Born

Perhaps the trickiest of all the Best Picture nominees to catch before the Oscars is A Star Is Born. Despite its massive success at the box office following its October 2018 premiere, the film is still showing in a limited amount of theaters (check your local listings here). While it’s not available to rent just yet, you may want to consider purchasing it for $19.99 through YouTube Movies or Amazon for $17.99. No matter which option you choose, it will be well worth your investment.

Vice

If you’re worrying you’ve missed the chance to peep a drastically transformed Christian Bale in his Oscar-nominated performance as former Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney in Vice, worry no more. Because Vice was released on Christmas Day, it’s still enjoying a run in theaters. You can check here to see which theaters near you still have showings.

The 91st Academy Awards air on Sunda, February 24 at 8pm EST/7pm CST on ABC.

Enjoy the show! And head to the Atom Tickets homepage to get tickets for the Best Picture nominees still in theaters.