It might have been the creativity stifled by months of inactivity during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-21. It might have been that a lot of people had a lot of time to think. Or maybe it was just that so many of the world’s most accomplished filmmakers happened to deliver some of their most inventive films in the calendar year 2023.
Whatever the reason, it was a banner year for movies.
Like, maybe the best of the 21st century.
So it follows the 2024 Academy Awards should be a ceremony where the biggest hits won’t be the result of an actor angry at the host’s monologue.
Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, Alexander Payne and Greta Gerwig were among the directors who hit grand slams with their films. Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie, Robert Downey Jr., Robert DeNiro and Paul Giamatti were among the first-rate movie stars who offered impressive performances. And unlike years in which the best movies are quiet, independent productions and not always widely seen, several of this year’s were massive box office hits.
“Barbie” earned more than $1 billion and eight Oscar nominations. “Oppenheimer” came in just short of a billion and led all pictures with 13 nominations. “Killers of the Flower Moon” received 10 nominations and was one of Scorsese’s biggest hits, with more than $150 million earned in ticket sales.
So Hollywood can be delighted that some of its biggest hits also scored well on the Rotten Tomatoes site and among Academy Award voters.
Among the surest bets of the evening, according to BetMGM:
- Best Picture: Oppenheimer, -5000
- Best Director: Christopher Nolan, -3000
- Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr., -5000
- Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, -5000
MORE: Oscars betting odds, predictions to help you win your pool
Oscars 2024: Full list of nominees and winners
Winners will be updated after the Oscars begin at 7 p.m. ET.
Best Picture
- American Fiction
- Anatomy of a Fall
- Barbie
- The Holdovers
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- Maestro
- Oppenheimer
- Past Lives
- Poor Things
- The Zone of Interest
Best Actor
- Bradley Cooper, Maestro
- Colman Domingo, Rustin
- Paul Gimatti, 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 Adapted Screenplay
- American Fiction, Cord Jefferson
- Barbie, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach
- Oppenheimer,Christopher Nolan
- Poor Things, Tony McNamara
- The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer
Best Original Screenplay
- Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
- The Holdovers, David Hemingson
- Maestro, Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer
- May December, Samy Burch (story by Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik)
- Past Lives, Celine Song
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 Film Editing
- Anatomy of a Fall
- The Holdovers
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- Oppenheimer
- Poor Things
Best Visual Effects
- The Creator
- Godzilla Minus One
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
- Napoleon
Best International Feature Film
- Io Capitano (Italy)
- Perfect Days (Japan)
- Society of the Snow (Spain)
- The Teachers’ Lounge (Germany)
- The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom)
Animated Feature Film
- The Boy and the Heron
- Elemental
- Nimona
- Robot Dreams
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
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 Costume Design
- Barbie
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- Napoleon
- Oppenheimer
- Poor Things
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- Golda
- Maestro
- Oppenheimer
- Poor Things
- Society of the Snow
Best Production Design
- Barbie
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- Napoleon
- Oppenheimer
- Poor Things
Best Sound
- The Creator
- Maestro
- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
- Oppenheimer
- The Zone of Interest
Best Live Action Short Film
- The After
- Invincible
- Knight of Fortune
- Red, White and Blue
- The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Best Animated Short Film
- Letter to a Pig
- Ninety-Five Senses
- Our Uniform
- Pachyderme
- War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko
Best Documentary Feature Film
- Bobi Wine: The People’s President
- The Eternal Memory
- Four Daughters
- To Kill a Tiger
- 20 Days in Mariupol
Best Documentary Short Film
- The ABCs of Book Banning
- The Barber of Little Rock
- Island in Between
- The Last Repair Shop
- Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó
How to watch the 2024 Oscars: TV channel, live stream
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- TV channel: ABC
- Live stream: Fubo
The Academy Awards begin at 7 p.m. ET, an hour earlier than has been customary through the years. As has been the case since 1976, the Oscars will air on ABC, with Jimmy Kimmel in his fourth year as host. Only Bob Hope, Johnny Carson and Billy Crystal have been host more frequently. The awards show can also be streamed on Fubo, which offers a free trial.
