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Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer dominates the Award season in 2024, shatters Barbie, bags 13 Oscars nominations

Box office leader Margot Robbie's Barbie fell short of awards glory this year, overshadowed by critical darling Cillian Murphy's Oppenheimer

Shramana Kar

Feb 25, 2024

Golden Globes, Oppenheimer, BAFTA

The announcement of Oppenheimer was made way back in 2022 with the first-look of Cillian Murphy smoking a cigarette. Since then, it's been two years, and the film is making huge headlines on the internet. Not only the biographical-thriller garnered immense appreciation and excellent box office collection with $954 million, the film has been dominating the award season this year. There's not a single prestigious accolade Oppenheimer left to win in 2024.

Oppenheimer's accolades triumph

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer has been a critical darling, sweeping major awards ceremonies throughout the prestigious accolade season this year. The film has won all the major categories like five Golden Globes, eight Critics' Choice Awards, seven BAFTAs, a Grammy Award, a People's Choice Award, and three Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards till now. These accolades recognise the film's excellence in various aspects, from directing and acting to cinematography, music, visual effects and storyline.

ALSO READ: Oscars 2024 - Robert Downey Jr. got nightmares before Oscar nod for Oppenheimer; Find out why...

Cillian Murphy's Oppenheimer marked a significant moment at the awards season, becoming the first high-grossing film to win Best Picture category in nearly two decades. This feat was last achieved by Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003, which capped off his epic fantasy trilogy with a historic sweep of the Oscars.

Oppenheimer's Oscar nominations

Oppenheimer also marked a significant achievement for the British filmmaker, garnering the highest 13 Oscar nominations at the 96th Academy Awards. It was his most nominated film to date and the first time he received nods for both Best Director and Best Writing in a single year. The film also secured nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), and Best Cinematography (Hoyte van Hoytema), solidifying its place as a major contender at the awards ceremony.

Barbie's loss

On the other hand, despite becoming the highest grossing film of 2023, Barbie couldn't match the triumph of Oppenheimer. Barbie has not only achieved the box office feat, but also made history by being the first film directed by a woman that achieved such success. Hence, it was quite shocking to watch Barbie, Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig and Ryan Gosling have to return home empty-handed from BAFTA in London. For the unversed, Barbie grossed $1.4 billion worldwide.

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However, sometimes a film is too good to be ignored, and no doubt, Oppenheimer is one of those kinds of films. The claim that high-grossing films rarely win Best Picture is partially true. Although it's uncommon, it's not impossible. For example, James Cameron’s Titanic won Best Picture in 1998, though it was not the highest-grossing film of 1997. Cameron’s other film - Avatar also achieved both feats in 2009.

It's important to consider other factors beyond box office performance when analysing award nominations and wins. Artistic merit, critical reception, and cultural impact all play a role in the Academy's decision-making process.

Oppenheimer story

Oppenheimer is the story about J. Robert Oppenheimer, who is famously known as the Father of Atomic Bomb. The world's first nuclear explosion occurred on July 16, 1945, during the Manhattan Project, a top-secret US program to develop atomic bombs during World War II. The project was led by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and overseen by Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. The successful detonation of the bomb, codenamed ‘Trinity’, marked a turning point in history, ushering in the atomic age.

ALSO READ: BAFTA Awards 2024 winners - Oppenheimer, Poor Things, The Holdovers, The Boy and the Heron, and more

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