Oppenheimer Drops into the Spotlight at the Oscars

On March 10th, 2024, the yearly Academy Awards ceremony—also known as the Oscars ceremony—was held at Dolby Theatre in Ovation Hollywood, Los Angeles. This event is meant to celebrate excellence in cinematic achievements, with this year being the 96th Academy Awards event—nearly 100 years after the first Academy Awards presentation was held in 1929. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 3.5 hour broadcast had some surprising winners over the 53 nominated feature-length and short films; however, a few movies in particular received particular recognition, winning several awards out of the twenty-four possible categories at the ceremony.

First off is Oppenheimer, a movie revolving around J. Robert Oppenheimer’s development of the atomic bomb during World War II. Directed by Christopher Nolan, this movie received 13 nominations and 7 honors in some of the biggest categories at the event. The film won best director (Nolan), best actor (Cillian Murphy), best supporting actor (Robert Downey Jr.), best cinematography (Hoyte van Hoytema), best film editing (Jennifer Lame) and best original score (Ludwig Göransson). Beyond that, Oppenheimer earned nearly 953.8 million USD worldwide, centering it as a movie with both popular and critical acclaim, especially with its position as the 3rd highest grossing movie of 2023.

Next was Barbie, the other half to the “Barbenheimer” trend that swept the nation. Directed by Greta Gerwig, this film follows the story of Barbie (acted by Margo Robbie) and examines her struggle with existentialism and society. Despite earning over 1.446 billion USD worldwide and having 8 overall nominations, Barbie’s only win was for best original song, with What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell.

Poor Things was another big winner at the Oscars this year, taking 11 nominations and 4 wins. Based on a novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray, this film focuses on the journey of self-discovery that Bella Baxter (acted by Emma Stone) undergoes after a brain transplant. Despite earning a relatively small amount compared to some of the other nominated films ($108 million worldwide), Poor Things raked in several awards, including best actress (Emma Stone), best costume design, best production design, and best makeup/hairstyling.

Finally, directed by Jonathan Glazer, is The Zone of Interest, which was nominated for 5 categories before winning best sound and best international feature film. This film follows Rudolf Höss, the commander of Auschwitz, as he strives to build a life for him and his family. Based on a 2014 novel of the same name, the film earned $24.2 million globally, leaving it at the lower end of earnings for Oscar nominees this year.