Hollywood: Hollywood A-listers are getting ready to lavish awards on Christopher Nolan's atomic blockbuster "Oppenheimer" and party with "Barbie" on Sunday at the Oscars, the biggest night in showbiz.
Nolan's drama about the inventor of the nuclear age, half of last summer's massive "Barbenheimer" phenomenon, is the firm favorite to win the prize for best picture and much more at the star-studded gala.
With an overdue director, stellar cast, commercial and critical success, and urgent subject matter, "there is no justifiable reason to predict anything else," said Hollywood Reporter awards columnist Scott Feinberg.
Variety awards editor Clayton Davis said "Oppenheimer" is the "biggest lock" to win best picture since the final "Lord of the Rings" film two decades ago.
It is tipped to take golden statuettes for best director, supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr., and technical prizes from cinematography and editing to sound and score.
The film has a strong chance at best actor honors for Cillian Murphy, who is locked in a tight race with Paul Giamatti of "The Holdovers," and could claim best adapted screenplay too.
"It just had everything, the scale, the scope, the importance," said one Oscars voter, who asked to remain anonymous as Academy members are instructed not to discuss their ballots.
"This is the year for 'Oppenheimer,'" the voter told AFP.
Elsewhere, the competition for best actress promises to be a nail-biter.
Emma Stone, who previously won an Academy Award for "La La Land," gives a stunning, daring performance in the surreal, Frankenstein-esque "Poor Things."
But Lily Gladstone of "Killers of the Flower Moon" has not just the clout of her director Martin Scorsese, but the weight of history behind her.
She is seeking to become the first Native American to win an acting Oscar.
"Gladstone holds her own against Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, these towering actors" in Scorsese's historical crime epic, said the anonymous voter.
Should the two frontrunners cancel one another out, Sandra Hueller of "Anatomy of a Fall" could be "the underdog," the voter added.
The French courtroom thriller is the frontrunner for best original screenplay.
Pink carpet
And what about "Barbie," released on the same weekend last summer as "Oppenheimer," prompting a bizarre and highly meme-able double bill that collectively grossed $2.4 billion worldwide?
The surreal feminist comedy is likely to earn technical prizes including costume design, and boasts the two frontrunners for best original song.
Both Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For?" and the movie's showstopping "I'm Just Ken" will be performed during the Oscars gala.
Supporting actor nominee Ryan Gosling's first-ever live performance of his character's signature power ballad is likely to be a standout moment.
With Margot Robbie nominated as a producer, America Ferrera as supporting actress, and Greta Gerwig for screenplay, the cast and crew of "Barbie" are expected to turn the Oscars' famous red carpet a bright shade of pink.
Da'Vine Joy Randolph ("The Holdovers") is the firm favorite to win for best supporting actress, while race satire "American Fiction" could dampen the "Oppenheimer" sweep with adapted screenplay honors.
In best documentary, a win for "20 Days in Mariupol" should help redirect attention - however momentarily - to the war in Ukraine.
The United Kingdom is expecting its first-ever best international film Oscar, with Auschwitz drama "The Zone of Interest."
Japanese cinema has "Godzilla Minus One" tipped to win best visual effects, and "The Boy and the Heron" vying for best animated feature, where it will battle against "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."
Late night funnyman Jimmy Kimmel returns to helm the Oscars for a fourth time.
His highly praised hosting last year helped boost ratings back to nearly double their pandemic-era lows.
The 96th Academy Awards take place in Hollywood on Sunday from 4:00 pm (2300 GMT).
Oscars 2024: A look at the complete list of nominees
With 13 nominations in total, director Christopher Nolan's biopic 'Oppenheimer' lead the nominations list this, followed by 'Poor Things' with 11 noms and Martin Scorsese's 'Killers of the Flower Moon' with 10. Big names like Jodie Foster, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, and Robert Downey Jr. are among the actors nominated.
See the full list of nominees below:
1. Best Picture
American FictionAnatomy of a FallBarbie
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
MaestroOppenheimer
Past Lives
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
2. Actor in a Leading Role
Bradley Cooper
Colman Domingo
Paul Giamatti
Cillian Murphy
Jeffrey Wright
3. Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening
Lily Gladstone
Sandra Huller
Carey Mulligan
Emma Stone
4. Actor in a Supporting Role
Sterling K Brown
Robert De Niro
Robert Downey Jr
Ryan Gosling
Mark Ruffalo
5. Actress in a Supporting Role
Emily Blunt
Danielle BrooksAmerica
FerreraJodie Foster
Da'Vine Joy Randolph
6. Directing
Justine Triet
Martin Scorsese
Christopher Nolan
Yorgos Lanthimos
Jonathan Glazer
7. Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
American Fiction
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest
8. Writing (Original Screenplay)
Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Maestro
May December
Past Lives
9. International Feature Film
Io Capitano
Perfect Days
Society of the Snow
The Teachers' Lounge
The Zone of Interest
10. Animated Feature Film
The Boy and the Heron
ElementalNimona
Robot Dreams
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
11. Documentary Feature Film
Bobi Wine: The People's President
The Eternal Memory
Four Daughters
To Kill a Tiger
20 Days in Mariupol
12. Live Action Short Film
The ActorInvincible
Knight of Fortune
Red, White and Blue
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
13. Documentary Short Film
The ABCs of Book Banning
The Barber of Little Rock
The Island In Between
The Last Repair Shop
Nai Nai and Wai Po
14. Animated Short Film
Letter to a Pig
Ninety-Five Senses
Our Uniform
Pachyderme
War Is Over!
15. Film Editing
Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
16. Production Design
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
17. Costume Design
Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
NapoleonOppenheimer
Poor Things
18. Music (Original Score)
American Fiction
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
19. Music (Original Song)
The Fire Inside
I'm Just Ken
It Never Went Away
Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)
What Was I Made For?
20. Makeup and Hairstyling
GoldaMaestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Society of the Snow
21. Sound
The Creator
MaestroMission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest
22. Visual Effects
The Creator
Godzilla Minus One
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon
