An Award-Worthy Guide to Oscar Buzz In Lower Manhattan

The weather is cold, the holidays are approaching and the year-end best-of lists are full of movies that only critics have seen. That must mean Oscar season is near! The next Academy Awards ceremony will be held in March, while nominees won’t be announced until late January, but with the Golden Globe noms now out, the awards season buzz is already ramping up. Will “Wicked” the movie be wicked (in the Boston sense) at the Oscars? Will “Gladiator II” or “Dune 2” bask in rare Best Picture glory for a sequel? Or Will “Anora” bring the awards spotlight back to Brighton Beach for the first time since “Requiem For a Dream”?

It’s a lot to think about, but luckily you’ve got plenty of time to get ready for the awards. In honor of the seasonal buzz, we’ve put together a guide to Oscar season in Lower Manhattan, including where to see the flicks, how to pretend like you’re in one of them and everything else you need to know to be an Oscar buff in 2025. 

Where to see the films

Lower Manhattan is home to three theaters that will give you three different, high-quality movie experiences. Regal Battery Park (102 North End Ave.) is a megaplex that stands out for its comfortable seats and arty lobby, which makes it a perfect staycation destination this winter, too. IPIC Fulton (11 Fulton St.) offers snuggly couple seats and in-seat dining in the Seaport, which makes for a fun date day of shopping and cinema. Alamo Drafthouse (28 Liberty St.) is a movie buff’s paradise, with the archive of Kim’s Video collection, a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and its in-house bar, the Press Room, paying homage to movie ads of the past. 

After the movie, head over to the Bar Room (123 Nassau St.) to dissect its Oscar chances, and have a cocktail in a classy setting, just like a Hollywood movie star.

Deck your walls

Check out the Poster Museum at Philip Williams Posters (122 Chambers St.), where you’ll find loads of original and vintage posters on display and for sale. The poster collection spans genres, but the film section boasts international gems and modern classics. You can spend hours here browsing the options, and those are maybe hours better spent than watching “Megalopolis.” 

Defy gravity by singing high notes 

Whether you think karaoke is the appropriate place to sing show tunes is up to you, but the bars of the city will certainly be full of people belting the bars of the “Wicked” showstopper, “Defying Gravity,” this winter. Try your hand at it yourself at Irish American (17 John St.), which regularly hosts karaoke. 

Rome like a Roman

“Gladiator II” takes viewers back to ancient Rome, which is a thing that architects in the district have also been doing lately. Several recently completed projects have embraced the classic Roman arched architecture feature known as the loggia, including the one at 130 William St. where Remi Flower & Coffee occupies the ground floor. 

And if that movie has got you craving some (non-lethal) combat, you can always join Bout Fight Club (130 Fulton St.) and use your fists instead of swords.

Be scene

Lower Manhattan has been home to the filming locations for some great Oscar winners — “The Godfather,” “The French Connection,” “Klute” — and some movies that should have won Oscars (“Home Alone 2”). Take a tour of 27 filming locations in our guide here. 

Get red-carpet ready

They say you should dress for the job you want to have, and if that job is “famous actor who walks the red carpet,” you’ve got to have the right looks. Take yourself to Club Vintage (205 Front St.) for vintage designer threads that will have you turning heads at the step-and-repeat. 

Eat like “Anora”

Matryoshka is the name for those Russian nesting dolls and it’s also the name of the upstairs restaurant at Wall Street Spa 88. It’s open to the public without a spa ticket, which means you can go enjoy borscht and cold-smoked mackerel just like the Brighton Beach denizens of “Anora.” 

main photo: vzphotos / iStock