The 93rd Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, will occur on April 25 at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

The event is staged two months later than was initially planned due to the coronavirus epidemic and its effects on cinema. As with most things in life at the moment, things will be a little different this time around.

The nominations for the Oscars were made last month, and the final categories are in. The plan for the evening is for the show to follow a live movie set pattern with measures in place to reduce contact, limit time on stage and follow proper social distancing measures. One thing that will remain the same as before, all invented guests must attend in person as there will be no option to appear virtually.

Who will be the big winners and losers of the night? As ever, the results of the votes will be protected, unveiled only on stage at the opening of the envelope. Movie fans can take clues from the betting, however. Which names are backed by the leading bookmakers in Vegas? Let’s take a closer look at the recent Oscars betting.

“Nomadland” by Searchlight Pictures is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Best Picture

The most popular and sought after prize in the Oscars. Winning the best picture is the stuff of dreams for everyone connected to the movie business, but the betting ahead of this year’s Oscars suggests it’s a one-horse race to win the best picture.

Of the names in the frame, including The Trial of the Chicago 7, Minari and Promising Young Women, there’s one stand out title. One all the bets are coming for. Nomadland is the hot favourite to clinch the best picture title at this year’s gala event.

The movie was made in 2020 by Chloe Zhao, the writer, editor, producer and director. It starred Frances McDormand and won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. It’s easy to see why this title is so popular and extremely difficult to see it being beaten here.

Best Actress

Another of the major draws of the evening will be the best actress category, but this looks like a slightly more competitive field than the one above. Some of the greatest female names on screen have won this honour over the years, and all eyes will be on who accepts the prize in 2021. This list includes Viola Davies, Frances McDormand and Andra Day.

If the betting is proven to be correct, the winner will be early favourite Carey Mulligan for her role in Promising Young Woman. She starred as Cassandra Thomas in the film, and the British-born actress from London earned rave reviews from critics in the industry. This isn’t the first time Mulligan has been nominated for an Oscar, but it does appear to be her best chance yet of getting up on stage to collect the prize.

“93rd Oscars” by Chris Pizzello/AP is licensed under CC BY 3.0

Best Actor

All the industry’s heavyweights over the years have won the best actor prize, and many more world-famous names have missed out. Who will be the latest actor to join this most exclusive club? Unfortunately, experts aren’t predicting any upsets on the night with this one, and the betting tells us it’s a foregone conclusion.

Chadwick Boseman has dominated both the headlines and the Oscars betting in the build-up to this month’s prize giving. He is well ahead of second favourite Anthony Hopkins with Riz Ahmed and Steven Yeun; the others thought to have an outside chance of gatecrashing the party. Anything other than a victory for Boseman for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, where he played Levee Green.

Best Animated Feature Film

Due to the coronavirus restrictions, it’s no real shock to see many moviemakers focus on making animated feature films, which is another fascinating category. It is, however, one that Soul will win without too much drama. That’s if the odds-makers are to be trusted.

Soul was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney, the two most prominent names in the field who have combined to give movie lovers some memorable titles over the years. Directed by Pete Docter, Soul faces competition from Wolfwakers, Onward and Over the Moon.

There’s still time to get involved in the Oscars action. All significant bookmakers are accepting bets on the outcome of the most popular categories.