A split image of Barbie and Oppenheimer.
Warner Bros./Universal / Warner Bros./Universal

The biggest pop culture event of the year is upon us. The 2024 Oscars ceremony is this weekend, and everyone is asking one question: Who is going to win? An endless parade of precursor awards like the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards, and the SAG Awards, have given some clues to potential victors, but no one really knows for sure who is going to win Best Picture, Best Actress, and the other 21 categories.

Will the two movies that made up last summer’s Barbenheimer phenomenon, Oppenheimer and Barbie, emerge triumphant? Or will underdogs like The Holdovers or Poor Things impress enough voters to secure surprise wins? Digital Trends will look into a crystal ball and give our best guess as to who will win, who will go home empty-handed, and who might pull off an upset.

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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

Who is going to win? Oppenheimer. When the nominations were announced, it was a two-way horse race between it and Barbie, but the latter movie has since faded. Besides, Oppenheimer is the rare movie that’s a financial blockbuster, a cultural phenomenon, and a critical darling. Films like that rare, and the Academy will want to enshrine it in its hall of fame.

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper – Maestro

Colman Domingo – Rustin

Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers

Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer

Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction

Who is going to win? Cillian Murphy. It’s tempting to pick Giamatti here, and in most years, he’s be a slam dunk, but Murphy has the Oppenheimer train supporting him, and he won both the Golden Globe and the SAG award for Best Actor.

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

Who is going to win? This is the only major category that’s still a bit of an enigma, but I’m leaning toward Lily Gladstone due to her win at the SAG Awards last month. A lot of people are banking on Emma Stone as a potential spoiler, but my money is on Sandra Hüller. Anatomy of a Fall has tons of momentum right now, and her big fight scene (“You are not a victim!”) has made the rounds on social media.

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer

Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple

America Ferrera – Barbie

Jodie Foster – Nyad

Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers

Who is going to win? Da’Vine Joy Randolph. She’s won every major precursor award. Plus, she actually deserves it.

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

Who is going to win? Robert Downey Jr. A past nominee for Chaplin and Tropic Thunder, the ex-Iron Man is due for his Oscar, and it won’t be for Doctor Dolittle 2.

Best Director

Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet

Killers of the Flower Moon – Martin Scorsese

Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan

Poor Things – Yorgos Lanthimos

The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer

Who is going to win? Christopher Nolan. It’s time to honor the only director who can bring in a crowd for a three-hour movie about nuclear physics.

Best Adapted Screenplay

American Fiction

Barbie

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest

Who is going to win? It’s a toss-up between American Fiction and Barbie, but I’m leaning toward American Fiction.

A woman and her child stands next to a dead body in Anatomy of a Fall.
Neon

Best Original Screenplay

Anatomy of a Fall

The Holdovers

Maestro

May December

Past Lives

Who is going to win? It’s between Anatomy of a Fall or Past Lives. The former has more momentum, so I’m going with Anatomy of a Fall.

Best Original Song

The Fire InsideFlamin’ Hot (Diane Warren)

I’m Just KenBarbie (Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt)

It Never Went AwayAmerican Symphony (Jon Batiste, Dan Wilson)

Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)Killers of the Flower Moon (Scott George)

What Was I Made For?Barbie (Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell)

Who is going to win? Billie and Barbie have this locked down.

Best Original Score

American Fiction

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Who is going to win? Ludwig Göransson‘s lush, forceful score for Oppenheimer is the most memorable, and the one to beat.

Best International Feature

Io Capitano

Perfect Days

Society of the Snow

The Teachers’ Lounge

The Zone of Interest

Who is going to win? If a nominee in this category is also a Best Picture nominee as well, it stands an excellent chance of winning: The Zone of Interest.

Best Animated Feature

The Boy and the Heron

Elemental

Nimona

Robot Dreams

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Who is going to win? This is tough call between Sony’s critically acclaimed Miles Morales sequel and Hayao Miyazaki’s not-so-final film. I want The Boy and the Heron to win this, but I think it will go to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Best Costume Design

Barbie

Killers of the Flower Moon

Napoleon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Who is going to win? Poor Things. The costumes are the showiest, so it will edge out its main competition, Barbie.

Best Make-up and Hairstyling

Golda

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Society of the Snow

Who is going to win? Maestro has the much-talked about nose, so it will probably win here.

Best Production Design

Barbie

Killers of the Flower Moon

Napoleon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Who is going to win? Barbie‘s Dream House should edge out Poor Things‘ steampunk cityscapes, but don’t be surprised if it doesn’t.

Margot Robbie looks through a mirrorless mirror in Barbie.
Warner Bros. Pictures

Best Sound

The Creator

Maestro

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Oppenheimer

The Zone of Interest

Who is going to win? It makes sense that Oppenheimer wins here, but don’t count out Johnnie Burn’s extraordinary work on The Zone of Interest.

Best Film Editing

Anatomy of a Fall

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Who is going to win? The conventional wisdom is that the Best Picture winner also snags Best Editing unless there’s an action movie in the mix. There aren’t any this year, so this award belongs to Oppenheimer.

Best Cinematography

El Conde

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Poor Things

Who is going to win? Killers of the Flower Moon has the visuals that usually win in this category, but Oppenheimer cannot be denied.

Best Visual Effects

The Creator

Godzilla Minus One

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Napoleon

Who is going to win? The sentimental favorite here is Godzilla Minus One, which managed to pulled off its impressive special effects with a budget of less than $20 million. But I wouldn’t be surprised if The Creator wins instead.

Godzilla destroys the city in a wide shot still from Godzilla Minus One
Godzilla Minus One Toho International / Toho International

Best Live Action Short

The After

Invincible

Knight of Fortune

Red, White and Blue

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Who is going to win? Oscar has a chance to honor Wes Anderson with The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, so they will probably pick that one.

Best Animated Short

Letter to a Pig

Ninety-Five Senses

Our Uniform

Pachyderme

War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

Who is going to win? Oscar tends to like shorts that have the Holocaust as its main subject, so Letter to a Pig it is.

Best Documentary Feature

Bobi Wine: The People’s President

The Eternal Memory

Four Daughters

To Kill a Tiger

20 Days in Mariupol

Who is going to win? Ukraine’s 20 Days in Mariupol.

Best Documentary Short

The ABCs of Book Banning

The Barber of Little Rock

Island In Between

The Last Repair Shop

Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó

Who is going to win? The ABCs of Book Banning although Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó could surprise due to its availability on Disney+.

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