Oppenheimer Leads Oscar Nominations With 13 Total Nods, Including Best Picture & Best Director
Christopher Nolan may finally take home some gold this year!
Following an impressive showing at the Golden Globes earlier this month, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer continues to generate plenty of awards season buzz with an impressive total of 13 Oscar nominations — the most out of any film this year.
The atomic bomb thriller — which is currently available to own via Universal Pictures Home Entertainment ahead of a Peacock debut next month — is up for gold statues in nearly every major category, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Cillian Murphy). While Nolan has never taken home the prestigious accolade bestowed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he has been nominated twice before this for Memento (2000) and Dunkirk (2017).
RELATED: Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer Overtakes Bohemian Rhapsody as Highest-Grossing Biopic Ever
"Words don’t really do it justice," Murphy told Variety when asked about how he was processing the news of landing his very first Oscar nomination. "I think the superlatives fail you at this point. I’m so truly honored and kind of overwhelmed. But most of all, proud of the movie, and proud that it has achieved so much. It exceeded all of our expectations, any of any of us who are involved in making this movie. I get people coming up to me on the street all the time and they say, 'I’ve watched the movie five times.' And then these are older people, and they’re younger people and they’re boys and girls. It’s crazy. And then to be recognized by the Academy like we have been, it’s just kind of mind-blowing."
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography American Prometheus (written by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin), the critically-acclaimed biopic chronicles the tragic life and career of Manhattan Project physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, aka the "Father of the Atomic Bomb." He helped bring an end to the Second World War, but forever rued the day the United States successfully unlocked the terrible power of the atom and set the Cold War in motion. Despite being an R-rated drama with a hefty 3-hour runtime, Oppenheimer defied the odds with nearly $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
"I feel great about the state of the movie business, based on my own experience" Nolan told Empire for the magazine's February 2024 issue. "But also based on seeing other movies break out, seeing audiences come back."
Oppenheimer Leads 96th Oscar Nominations With 13 Nods
- Best Picture
- Best Director (Christopher Nolan)
- Best Adapted Screenplay (Christopher Nolan)
- Acting in a Leading Role (Cillian Murphy)
- Actor in a Supporting Role (Robert Downey Jr.)
- Actress in a Supporting Role (Emily Blunt)
- Best Cinematography (Hoyte van Hoytema)
- Best Costume Design (Ellen Mirojnick)
- Best Film Editing (Jennifer Lame)
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling (Luisa Abel)
- Best Original Score (Ludwig Göransson)
- Best Production Design (Production Design: Ruth De Jong; Set Decoration: Claire Kaufman)
- Best Sound (Willie Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo and Kevin O'Connell)
What other Universal Films Were Nominated for Oscars This Year?
Alexander Payne's poignant Christmas dramedy The Holdovers — released under the Focus Features banner and now streaming on Peacock — landed five nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Giamatti), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), Best Film Editing (Kevin Trent), and Best Original Screenplay (David Hemingson).
A throwback to the films made in the late '60s and early '70s, The Holdovers takes place at a New England boarding school, where three lonely souls find common ground throughout the holiday break.
The 96th Academy Awards ceremony will take place Sunday, March 10 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Click here for the complete list of this year's nominees.
Oppenheimer will make its exclusive streaming debut on Peacock Friday, February 16. In anticipation of the premiere, six other Nolan classics — Memento (2000), Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and Dunkirk (2017) — are set to join the service Thursday, February 1.
