The biopic of the "father of the atomic bomb" is at the forefront of the 2024 Oscar race, garnering a remarkable 13 nominations. It's closely followed by "Poor Things" with 11 nods, "Killers of the Flower Moon" with 10, and "Barbie" receiving eight. The full slate of nominations was unveiled on Tuesday morning.

A congratulatory poster celebrating the Oscar nominations for "Oppenheimer." [Image courtesy of Universal Pictures]

Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer," which triumphed at the recent 81st Golden Globe Awards by winning four awards, including best motion picture - drama, has now received Oscar nominations for best picture, best director, best actor, and more. It is expected to have a significant showing at the 96th Academy Awards as well, which will take place on March 10 and be broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

This sprawling three-hour biography about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist behind the Manhattan Project, was one of the most popular foreign films in the Chinese market in 2023. In September last year, Christopher Nolan, an A-list Hollywood director, even made a rare promotional trip to China to attend events in Beijing and Shanghai, marking his first visit since the COVID-19 pandemic. The film eventually grossed 450 million yuan ($63 million) in China, contributing to its $954 million worldwide total.

Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid announced the nominees in all 23 categories live from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles.

"Oppenheimer" made its North American debut on July 21, 2023, the same date as last year's biggest box office hit, "Barbie." The simultaneous release of these twin blockbusters caused a viral phenomenon, with people booking double features and giving rise to the popular "Barbenheimer" meme. The combined global earnings of both movies exceeded $2 billion, a remarkable achievement considering the ongoing struggles of movie theaters to recover from the pandemic.

A congratulatory poster celebrating the Oscar nominations for "Barbie." [Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures]

Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" also received eight nominations, including best picture. However, despite being a film aimed at a female audience, its female creators were snubbed in the nominations for best director and best leading actress, causing disappointment among many. The film's release in China was unexpectedly successful, grossing 252 million yuan. This success was surprising given the film's initially limited theatrical release and the modest expectations of Chinese theater owners, who had allocated very few slots for the film. However, the film's popularity grew through positive word-of-mouth, leading to an increase in screenings. Overall, the film was a global phenomenon, grossing $1.44 billion.

The academy is struggling to rescue its ratings and appeal to audiences. Last year's show was watched by 18.7 million viewers, a 13% increase from 2022 but a significant drop from 33 million viewers in 2017. There is also an opportunity for the academy to re-engage with Chinese audiences. The pandemic and evolving film landscape, along with changing audience preferences, have led to a stronger inclination towards domestic productions and a waning interest in Hollywood films, resulting in a decline in foreign films' box office numbers in the Chinese market year after year. Consequently, this decline may impact their enthusiasm for the Oscars. However, the anticipation surrounding the performance of "Barbenheimer" this year is likely to generate significant interest among movie fans.

At the 2023 Oscars, the heavily Chinese-influenced film "Everything Everywhere All at Once" won best picture, along with acting awards for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film also received Oscars for best writing and best directing, awarded to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. It created some social media buzz, but the film was never released in China.

A Chinese congratulatory poster celebrating the Oscar nominations for "Anatomy of a Fall." [Image courtesy of Road Pictures]

Among the 2024 Oscar-nominated films, "Anatomy of a Fall" will be the latest to hit the Chinese film market on March 29. It has received five nominations, including best picture and best director, and is riding the Oscar wave for promotion in the country. The film has already garnered 204 awards globally, including last year's prestigious Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

The nominations for the 2024 Oscars have set various records. Lily Gladstone made history as the first Native American acting nominee, while 81-year-old Martin Scorsese became the most nominated living movie director and the oldest nominee in the directing category. However, their historical epic "Killers of the Flower Moon," now earning 10 Oscar nominations, once had plans for a China release last year but was eventually canceled. This decision, influenced by Apple, one of the film's producers, disappointed many fans.

Meanwhile, the legendary composer John Williams earned his 49th Oscar nomination for original score with "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny." With a total of 54 career Oscar nominations, including best original song, Williams is the most-nominated living person. At 91 years old, he also holds the distinction of being the oldest nominee in a competitive award category.

A complete list of the 2024 Oscar nominees:

Best picture

"American Fiction" (Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson and Jermaine Johnson, producers)
"Anatomy of a Fall" (Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion, producers)
"Barbie" (David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Robbie Brenner, producers)
"The Holdovers" (Mark Johnson, Producer)
"Killers of the Flower Moon" (Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Martin Scorsese and Daniel Lupi, producers)
"Maestro" (Bradley Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger, producers)
"Oppenheimer" (Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan, producers)
"Past Lives" (David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, producers)
"Poor Things" (Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone, producers)
"The Zone of Interest" (James Wilson, Producer)

Best directing

Justine Triet ("Anatomy of a Fall")
Martin Scorsese ("Killers of the Flower Moon")
Christopher Nolan ("Oppenheimer")
Yorgos Lanthimos ("Poor Things")
Jonathan Glazer ("The Zone of Interest")

Best actor

Bradley Cooper ("Maestro")
Colman Domingo ("Rustin")
Paul Giamatti ("The Holdovers")
Cillian Murphy ("Oppenheimer")
Jeffrey Wright ("American Fiction")

Best actress

Annette Bening ("Nyad")
Lily Gladstone ("Killers of the Flower Moon")
Sandra Hüller ("Anatomy of a Fall")
Carey Mulligan ("Maestro")
Emma Stone ("Poor Things")

Best supporting actor

Sterling K. Brown ("American Fiction")
Robert De Niro ("Killers of the Flower Moon")
Robert Downey Jr. ("Oppenheimer")
Ryan Gosling ("Barbie")
Mark Ruffalo ("Poor Things")

Best supporting actress

Emily Blunt ("Oppenheimer")
Danielle Brooks ("The Color Purple")
America Ferrera ("Barbie")
Jodie Foster ("Nyad")
Da'Vine Joy Randolph ("The Holdovers")

Best writing (adapted screenplay)

"American Fiction" (Written for the screen by Cord Jefferson)
"Barbie" (Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach)
"Oppenheimer" (Written for the screen by Christopher Nolan)
"Poor Things" (Screenplay by Tony McNamara)
"The Zone of Interest" (Written by Jonathan Glazer)

Best writing (original screenplay)

"Anatomy of a Fall" (Screenplay by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari)
"The Holdovers" (Written by David Hemingson)
"Maestro" (Written by Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer)
"May December" (Screenplay by Samy Burch; Story by Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik)
"Past Lives" (Written by Celine Song)

Best animated feature

"The Boy and the Heron" (Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki)
"Elemental" (Peter Sohn and Denise Ream)
"Nimona" (Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Karen Ryan and Julie Zackary)
"Robot Dreams" (Pablo Berger, Ibon Cormenzana, Ignasi Estapé and Sandra Tapia Díaz)
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" (Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Amy Pascal)

Best animated short film

"Letter to a Pig" (Tal Kantor and Amit R. Gicelter)
"Ninety-Five Senses" (Jerusha Hess and Jared Hess)
"Our Uniform" (Yegane Moghaddam)
"Pachyderme" (Stéphanie Clément and Marc Rius)
"War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko" (Dave Mullins and Brad Booker)

Best documentary feature film

"Bobi Wine: The People's President" (Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp and John Battsek)
"The Eternal Memory" (Nominees to be determined)
"Four Daughters" (Kaouther Ben Hania and Nadim Cheikhrouha)
"To Kill a Tiger" (Nisha Pahuja, Cornelia Principe and David Oppenheim)
"20 Days in Mariupol" (Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath)

Best international feature film

"Io Capitano" (Italy)
"Perfect Days" (Japan)
"Society of the Snow" (Spain)
"The Teacher's Lounge" (Germany)
"The Zone of Interest" (United Kingdom)

Best cinematography

"El Conde" (Edward Lachman)
"Killers of the Flower Moon" (Rodrigo Prieto)
"Maestro" (Matthew Libatique)
"Oppenheimer" (Hoyte van Hoytema)
"Poor Things" (Robbie Ryan)

Best costume design

"Barbie" (Jacqueline Durran)
"Killers of the Flower Moon" (Jacqueline West)
"Napoleon" (Janty Yates and Dave Crossman)
"Oppenheimer" (Ellen Mirojnick)
"Poor Things" (Holly Waddington)

Best makeup and hairstyling

"Golda" (Karen Hartley Thomas, Suzi Battersby and Ashra Kelly-Blue)
"Maestro" (Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell)
"Oppenheimer" (Luisa Abel)
"Poor Things" (Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston)
"Society of the Snow" (Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé)

Best original song

"The Fire Inside" from "Flamin' Hot" (Music and lyrics by Diane Warren)
"I'm Just Ken" from "Barbie" (Music and lyrics by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt)
"It Never Went Away" from "American Symphony" (Music and lyrics by Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson)
"Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)" from "Killers of the Flower Moon" (Music and lyrics by Scott George)
"What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie" (Music and lyrics by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell)

Best original score

"American Fiction" (Laura Karpman)
"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" (John Williams)
"Killers of the Flower Moon" (Robbie Robertson)
"Oppenheimer" (Ludwig Göransson)
"Poor Things" (Jerskin Fendrix)

Best production design

"Barbie"
"Killers of the Flower Moon"
"Napoleon"
"Oppenheimer"
"Poor Things"

Best film editing

"Anatomy of a Fall"
"The Holdovers"
"Killers of the Flower Moon"
"Oppenheimer"
"Poor Things"

Best sound

"The Creator"
"Maestro"
"Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One"
"Oppenheimer"
"The Zone of Interest"

Best visual effects

"The Creator"
"Godzilla: Minus One"
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"
"Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One"
"Napoleon"

Best live-action short film

"The After" (Misan Harriman and Nicky Bentham)
"Invincible" (Vincent René-Lortie and Samuel Caron)
"Knight of Fortune" (Lasse Lyskjaer Noer and Christian Norlyk)
"Red, White and Blue" (Nazrin Choudhury and Sara McFarlane)
"The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" (Wes Anderson and Steven Rales)

Best documentary short film

"The ABCs of Book Banning" (Sheila Nevins and Trish Adlesic)
"The Barber of Little Rock" (John Hoffman and Christine Turner)
"Island in Between" (S. Leo Chiang and Jean Tsien)
"The Last Repair Shop" (Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers)
"Nai Nai & Wai Po" (Sean Wang and Sam Davis)

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)