Hugh Jackman clearly hopes to return to the Oscars this year, and his new movie has debuted with strong if not universal reviews. Jackman stars alongside Kate Hudson in the musical docudrama Song Sung Blue, a late entry to the 2026 Oscars race, written and directed by Craig Brewer, based on the 2008 documentary of the same name by Greg Kohs.
Premiering at the 2025 AFI Film Festival on October 26, Song Sung Blue will release theatrically on Christmas Day 2025, alongside other awards season hopefuls Marty Supreme, The Testament of Ann Lee, and No Other Choice. Song Sung Blue follows a married Milwaukee couple, Mike and Claire Sardina, who form the Neil Diamond tribute act Lightning & Thunder and go on an emotional musical journey together.
As of today (October 30), Song Sung Blue has received its initial Rotten Tomatoes score, having received 10 critics’ reviews. Song Song Blue has debuted with a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score of 80%, broadly meaning reviewers see it as a good movie. It was relatively slow to get this score, as the movie premiered a few days ago, with reviews gradually trickling in.
Hudson, in particular, is still a part of discussions about potential 2026 Best Lead Actress nominees, but may lose to Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and Amanda Seyfried for The Testament of Ann Lee, seemingly the two strongest performances not attached to an obvious Best Picture nominee. This would be Hudson’s first nomination since 2000’s Almost Famous.
Best known for playing Logan/Wolverine in Marvel’s various projects, Jackman’s last major turn at the Oscars was for 2012’s Les Misérables, for which he was nominated as Best Lead Actor. Due to this Broadway adaptation, as well as projects such as The Greatest Showman and his performances on the stage, Jackman is a well-established figure in the musical theater world.
Song Sung Blue is positioned to be an Oscar comeback for both of its lead actors, who have still had prolific careers outside the Academy Awards. However, in an extremely competitive year for Best Picture, Song Sung Blue may simply not be strong enough to compete with the likes of One Battle After Another, Sinners, and Hamnet, as well as these movies’ casts.
Additionally, Rotten Tomatoes scores are subject to fluctuations. While Song Sung Blue debuted with a strong 80%, other hopeful Oscar movies debuted with a perfect 100% and have managed to stay above 90% as more reviews came in. Song Sung Blue will probably be a highly enjoyable holiday release, especially for Neil Diamond fans, I don’t think it has the momentum to pay off in the way its team wants.
- Release Date
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December 25, 2025
- Director
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Craig Brewer
- Writers
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Craig Brewer
- Producers
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John Davis, John Fox
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Kate Hudson
Claire Sardina
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