As the race for the 2026 Oscars takes shape, most movies are jockeying for attention, but a handful have already done the work of being unforgettable. Sinners is one of them. It takes a special film to release in the spring and persist in the conversation until now as not just a potential contender, but a worthy frontrunner, and Ryan Coogler’s original vampire musical has done that.

Warner Bros.’ job now is to make their campaign as compelling as possible in as many places as possible. Winning Best Picture in a ranked-choice system (meaning that it matters how voters rank the nominees, not just which they choose as their #1) requires support from across the Academy’s various branches. If the Sinners team wants the top prize, they’ll be aiming for nominations (and ideally wins) across the board.

Already, that big-picture thinking is manifest. On October 21, Sinners submitted two songs for consideration in the Best Original Song category: “I Lied to You” and “Last Time (I Seen The Sun).” The former is the song that triggers the movie’s signature sequence, in which Sammy’s music bridges space and time to draw ancestors, descendants, and (unfortunately) vampires to his spiritual plane. The latter plays over the film’s credits.

With these selections, the Sinners campaign is making a bit of a gamble, and it does put the Song statuette at risk. But if it works, it will boost the movie in other ways that could be more impactful.

Sinners Is Using Best Song To Shore Up Its Campaign In Other Places

While no more than two can be nominated, movies can submit up to three songs for Best Original Song, and WB is reportedly choosing not to select a third. Studios’ instincts for what should compete in this category can sometimes baffle – Encanto‘s nominee in its year was “Dos Oruguitas,” because none of the other songs that later went viral were submitted – and in isolation, these two are interesting choices.

Given its importance to the film, “I Lied to You” was practically a given, but its impact is so tied to the way the movie brings Coogler’s concept to life that just listening to it as a song is a partial pleasure. “Last Time” doesn’t have that problem, but it’s also not pivotal to the film in the way that, say, “Pale, Pale Moon” would have been. Not using the third slot on that song misses out on having something combine the distinct strengths of the other two.

Given they will need to compete with “Golden,” that could be a problem. KPop Demon Hunters‘ hit single is both a complete, satisfying listen and a key element of one’s experience of the movie itself. It’s easy to imagine someone loving the song without loving the film. With “I Lied to You,” that’s much harder.

But, by highlighting Sammy’s big scene and everything it means for the film, it ties into a broader campaign for Sinners in general. Talking about “I Lied to You” means talking about the creativity of the script; the director’s vision; the costuming; the score. In certain ways, that song is the movie in a nutshell.

Talking about “I Lied to You” also means talking about Miles Caton, the breakout star who performed both it and “Last Time.” He’ll be competing for Best Supporting Actor, and highlighting his singing will be crucial to his campaign. Not only that, but as a co-writer of “Last Time”, he could end up one of the rare dual nominees in acting and song, which in itself makes for a great narrative.

So, by choosing not to submit “Pale, Pale Moon,” Sinners is leaving its songs exposed to being eclipsed by “Golden” on Oscars night. But the Best Original Song campaign will nonetheless add fuel to the conversations around the movie in other places – ones that may be more important for getting the big win at the end of the night.