Oscars upsets: Parasite will win Best Picture

The Super Bowl of cinema is set for Sunday, Feb. 9, when the 92nd Academy Awards air on ABC. To help you place your Oscars bets at BetAmerica, we’ve predicted the biggest upsets among the 24 categories for Sunday night.   

Best Picture

World War I epic 1917 generated a ton of buzz earlier in the awards season, when it took home Best Motion Picture (drama) at the Golden Globes, along with Best Film at the BAFTA Awards.

While the Sam Mendes-directed saga is brilliant, the South Korean film Parasite has gained plenty of steam. The black-comedy thriller is filled with surprises, social satire, and daring originality—something Hollywood is sorely lacking in the age of remakes and sequels.

Parasite accepted the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the SAG Awards, which pushed it into the conversation for Best Picture at the Oscars. Should the cutting-edge flick triumph Sunday, it will become the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture.

Best Original Song

It’s difficult to imagine many voters will snub Elton John’s “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” from Rocketman, but is it actually the best song? Harriet’s “Stand Up,” co-written and performed by Cynthia Erivo, is a stirring ballad that provides a stark contrast to John’s upbeat ditty.

Erivo, a 33-year-old actress, singer, and songwriter, has already won an Emmy, Grammy, and Tony for her past work. If she can defeat one-time Oscar winner John on Sunday, she’ll become the youngest EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner.

Erivo is also a +2200 longshot to win Best Actress, but Renee Zellweger (-2500) is a shoo-in for that category.

Best Original Screenplay

Parasite is the frontrunner, but don’t underestimate Quentin Tarantino’s pull at the Oscars. Prior to 2020 Tarantino was nominated five times for an Academy Award and won twice—both for Best Original Screenplay.

His ninth feature film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, received 10 Academy Award nominations and will surely walk away with more than one golden statue.

It would be a shock to see Tarantino’s feature steal Best Picture at +700 odds. It’s also unlikely the Pulp Fiction creator can beat out 1917’s Sam Mendes (-670) or Parasite’s Bong Joon Ho (+325) for Best Director.

Tarantino has a solid shot at Original Screenplay and would tie Woody Allen for the most victories in that category (three) with a win Sunday. Tarantino previously earned Oscars for his writing on Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained.

For a full list of Oscars odds, head to BetAmerica!