West Side Story Movie Ties for Most 2022 Critics Choice Awards Nominations With 11

As many predicted before its release, West Side Story is turning into a bonafide frontrunner this awards season. Just hours after it scored four 2022 Golden Globe nominations, the Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner film adaptation of the 1957 musical earned 11 2022 Critics Choice Awards nominations. That figure is the highest number for any move this year, tying with Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast.

West Side Story is nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (Spielberg), Best Adapted Screenplay (Kushner), Best Supporting Actress (Ariana DeBose as Anita and Rita Moreno as Valentina), Best Young Actor/Actress (Rachel Zegler as Maria), Best Acting Ensemble, Best Cinematography (Janusz Kaminski), Best Production Design (Adam Stockhausen and Rena DeAngelo), Best Editing (Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn), and Best Costume Design (Paul Tazewell).

WATCH: Steven Spielberg, Rachel Zegler, David Alvarez, More Share How They Prepared for West Side Story

A number of other theatre-adjacent projects received nods, including tick, tick…BOOM! for Best Picture and Andrew Garfield for Best Actor. That latter category also includes theatre favorites Denzel Washington for The Tragedy of Macbeth, Peter Dinklage for Cyrano, and Benedict Cumberbatch for The Power of the Dog.

READ: Come From Away, Oslo, and Broadway Stars Score 2022 TV Critics Choice Awards Nominations for TV

Elsewhere, the Best Actress category features a number of stage and screen favorites with Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter), Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos), and Kristen Stewart (Spencer). In the Supporting categories, Broadway alums Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard), J.K. Simmons (Being the Ricardos), and Ciarán Hinds (Belfast) earned nods.

Behind the scenes, Lin-Manuel Miranda is nominated for his original song “Dos Oruguitas” in Encanto, which is also nominated for Best Animated Film alongside Raya and the Last Dragon (co-written by Vietgone playwright Qui Nguyen) while Aaron Sorkin (Being the Ricardos) will compete for Best Original Screenplay.