‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ Will Compete for Multiple Oscars, Including Picture and Director

At this point, I think it’s pretty obvious that Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and Gerwig’s “Barbie” will be contending in some of the major Oscar categories. This will have plenty of viewers tuning in since these are two of the most popular movies of the year, so far.

I can see “Oppenheimer” competing for Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Score, Costume, Editing, Production Design and Sound Editing. That’s 12 categories.

Meanwhile, “Barbie” could nab nominations for Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume, Editing, Original Song and Production Design. That’s 9 categories.

“Oppenheimer” is one of the best-reviewed movies of the year — it has an 88 Metascore and sits at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. There are plenty of pundits already saying that it’s the Best Picture frontrunner, but I think Scorsese’s more accessible “Killers of the Flower Moon” slightly edges it, for now.

“Barbie” was also well-reviewed, but less so than Nolan’s film. An 80 on Metacritic and 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. It has its ardent fans, but can it actually win Best Picture and/or Best Director? It would be an unusual winner, but so was “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”

IndieWire’s Anne Thompson is reporting that both films are playing very well at academy screenings. “Oppenheimer” had lines around the block last weekend, with every seat filled.

It’s been a while since a movie pulled off that feat. And by reports it played very well […] by all reports, this is the best attendance since “Joker”

Meanwhile, the Academy screening for “Barbie” was also a hit but maybe not as enthusiastically received as “Oppenheimer.”

Packed an hour before the screening. The comedy, according to attendees, played well to the crowd.

It’s August, which means Gold Derby has also opened up its Oscar predicting area for pundits and fans alike. The fall festival circuit begins in a month, and with that will come verdicts on anticipated titles such as “Saltburn,” “Maestro,” “The Holdovers,” and “Poor Things.”

There will also likely be some under-the-radar gems that’ll appear out of nowhere — it happens practically every awards season. Here’s the how the race currently stacks up, according to the Oscar “experts” over at Gold Derby: