Award season is in full swing. In addition to glamorous red-carpet looks and well-deserved wins, this season also sparks major social media discourse, with users sharing their varied opinions on nomination choices, winners, and more. While social media users tend to feel like the ultimate cinematic critics, last night, the Critics’ Choice Association voted on the winners of the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards.
And while the evening came with a series of wins for films like “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another,” fans could not grapple with the idea of Michael B. Jordan, who was nominated for his dual performance in “Sinners,” losing in the “Best Actor” category to Timothee Chalemet.
Chalamet may have been the critics’ choice for best actor, but Jordan was the public’s choice for best actor.
Beyond the collective outrage surrounding Jordan’s loss, many users speculated that the loss reflected the industry’s biases. “Sinners,” a film described as a vampire horror, exceeded everyone’s expectations with its intentional and detailed cultural exploration of Delta Blues, spirituality, religion, folklore, and culture. Despite dominating the box office, the film faced a number of biased headlines questioning the film’s success and others excluding it from “top film” listicles.
Many Threads users viewed it as a pattern that reflects the unfortunate reality that Black people work twice as hard (literally) as their white counterparts to barely receive half of the praise.
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Many users called out the stark contrast between “Sinners” box office success opening weekend, which amassed approximately $45.6 million, compared to “Marty Supreme” which made $28.3 million its opening weekend, per Variety.
Noticing the difference in box office success, social media users speculated the intention behind the Chalamett’s win.
“They’re trying to rage-bait Black audiences into being upset about Sinners losing so people will go see Marty Supreme after its Christmas box-office flop. Don’t fall for the gag,” one Threads user wrote. “We know the playbook: do something racist, white audiences get mad at Black people for naming the racism, then rally behind the “opposite” film as a dog whistle. Outrage marketing won’t be getting me in 2026.”
Other fans pointed to Jordan’s focus on Black storytelling in his catalogue of work, wondering if that that is why the actor did not receive the recognition for his performance as twin brothers Smoke and Stack in “Sinners.”
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Regardless of where you stand in the debate, it’s important to note that while Jordan’s snub at the Critics’ Choice Award appears to be everyone’s main focus, the actor and “Sinners” cast have won a plethora of awards and industry recognition. In November 2025, Jordan became one of the youngest recipients of the American Cinematheque’s highest honor, the American Cinematheque Award. Similarly, during this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards, “Sinners” won the most awards for the night, winning in the Best Original Screenplay, Best Young Actor or Actress (Miles Caton), Best Score (Ludwig Göransson), as well as the inaugural statuette for Best Casting and Ensemble categories.
“From the first time I read this extraordinary script by the great Ryan Coogler, I knew it was something really special. The fact that it’s recognized in this environment and has been recognized by all of you is just icing on the cake for the manifestation of the extraordinary vision of Ryan,” actor Delroy Lindo said during an acceptance speech on behalf of the “Sinners” cast. “I want to say one thing, and that is to take a half a step back, and that is, to take a half a step back and acknowledge and recognize what Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan, as a team, have. What they shared with us is quite extraordinary…”
