What is Anora about? Everything you need to know about award-winning movie dubbed the 'new Pretty Woman' after $6m independent film beat blockbusters including Wicked for Critics Choice Awards Best Picture

Anora was the unlikely winner of the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, beating blockbuster movies including Wicked in the Best Picture category. The award-winning movie, which released in 2024, shocked stars as the $6million independent film scooped the prize on Friday night. Rated five stars by DailyMail's Brian Viver, the movie has been dubbed the new 'pretty woman' thanks to it's starring lead Mikey Madison, 25.

The verité-style comedy stars Mikey as an adult dancer who impetuously marries the son of a Russian oligarch, only to have his handlers go to shocking ends to annul the marriage. Filled with nudity and raunchy sex scenes, the romantic comedy follows Ani (Mikey), whose legal name is Anora, from Brooklyn, who meets and spontaneously marries an immature young man named Ivan 'Vanya' Zakharov, the son of a Russian oligarch.

Ani´s fairytale life is at risk when Ivan, played by Russian actor Mark Eidelshteyn, must reckon with his parents, who want his marriage to a sex worker quickly annulled. Anora was the unlikely winner of the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, beating blockbuster movies including Wicked in the Best Picture category. Rated five stars by DailyMail's Brian Viver , the movie has been dubbed the new 'pretty woman' thanks to it's starring lead Mikey Madison, 25 (pictured).

Scenes from the trailer show Ani pole dancing before her and Ivan head to the bathroom for a steamy shower sex scene. Anora director Sean Baker was stunned to see his movie beat out Wicked, The Substance, A Complete Unknown, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, Nickel Boys, Conclave, The Brutalist, and Sing Sing for the night's biggest honor. While Wicked was shot on a reported $145 million budget and Dune: Part Two on a reported $190M, Anora was made on just a fraction of it's most costly competitors.

An incredulous Sean, 53, accepted the award with his Anora team, including star Mikey, and said they scraped by to make the film. Sean said the film was shot on a 'micro budget' of $6 million and was made possible by a team who 'roughed it up' for the sake of their 'little film.'. 'So unexpected,' Sean began. 'So unexpected. Thank you. Critics' Choice, thank you so much. When those who dedicate their lives to their love of film and film criticism and film journalism, they see something positive in your work, it means everything in the world.

'Thank you guys so, so much. We made this little film. It was $6million. That's micro budget these days. We shot on film. We shot in New York City. And that all happened because of my incredible cast and crew who roughed it up and we put every dollar up on that screen. 'And it's because, you know, independent film, we have to go for it. We have to go for it to stay on the big screen. And that's what I want to say. We made this film for the big screen. We thank everybody who saw it on the big screen. We want to thank Neon because they supported our theatrical run, a long theatrical window.

The verité-style comedy stars Mikey as an adult dancer who impetuously marries the son of a Russian oligarch, only to have his handlers go to shocking ends to annul the marriage. Filled with nudity and raunchy sex scenes, the romantic comedy follows Ani (Mikey), whose legal name is Anora, from Brooklyn, who meets and spontaneously marries an immature young man named Ivan 'Vanya' Zakharov, the son of a Russian oligarch.

The award-winning movie, which released in 2024, shocked stars as the $6million independent film scooped the prize on Friday night. 'And we have to think about the theatres. That's where we all fell in love with the movies, at the movie theare. They're going through hard times. 'We lost a thousand theatres during COVID. We lose them almost daily. There's where we love to see films. Let's see films in our local theatres.'.

Anora fans rejoiced in the victory on X, with one writing: 'ANORA BEST PICTURE OSCAR NEXT IDGAF,' along with a video of Oprah Winfrey running across coals with the encouragement of Tony Robbins. 'Anora randomly winning best picture,' another posted with a video of Beyonce looking shocked following her Grammy win. 'ANORA HIVE WE F**KING WON,' another posted. The Critics Choice Awards both shook up and solidified the awards season race ahead of the Academy Awards.

Anora was the upset winner of Best Picture, despite failing to win any of the other six awards it was nominated for, while Demi Moore and Adrien Brody emerged triumphant in the lead acting categories at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on Friday. Demi, 62, brought down the house when her name was announced for Best Actress. Anora beat out nominees Wicked, The Substance, A Complete Unknown, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, Nickel Boys, Conclave, The Brutalist, and Sing Sing for the night's biggest honor.