Since the 96th Academy Awards nominations were announced on January 23, 2024, the 2024 Oscars have received countless predictions from fans, audiences, and film enthusiasts. While many pre-nomination predictions turned out correct, others left many in shock. Arguably, the 2024 Oscars had its fair share of obvious snubs.
Impressively, 15 films had at least two nominations at the 96th Academy Awards. Although Oppenheimer leads the pack with an astonishing 13 nominations, with 15 films having multiple nominations, there’s no doubt the 2024 Oscars will have a few surprises. Here are the top 5 films with the highest nominations at the 2024 Oscars and the categories they could win.
Maestro – 7 Nominations
- Best Picture – Bradley Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger
- Best Actor – Bradley Cooper
- Best Actress – Carey Mulligan
- Best Original Screenplay – Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer
- Best Cinematography – Matthew Libatique
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling – Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell
- Best Sound – Steven A. Morrow, Richard King, Jason Ruder, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic
The Bradley Cooper-directed biographical romantic drama Maestro was nominated in three of the Academy Awards’ “Big 5” categories. That’s a win in itself, making it a high contender in these three categories. Like previous Academy Awards, the 2024 Oscars prediction lies mostly on how well the films fared in other major awards. Maestro has yet to win in any of its nominated categories in other major awards. For Best Picture, it’s practically impossible for Maestro to win at the 2024 Oscars, as it competes with several other outstanding films.
Since Bradley Cooper wasn’t nominated for Best Director, Maestro‘s chances of winning Best Picture are slim. In the Oscars’ history, fewer than 10 films have won Best Picture without a corresponding nomination for their director. Bradley Cooper has received 12 Academy Awards nominations (including 3 this year) without a win. He might not have had a chance with Best Picture, but he delivered a masterful performance for Best Actor.
For Best Original Screenplay, there are other great competitors in this category, with an almost zero chance of Maestro winning it. If the Oppenheimer effect hadn’t been at play, Bradley Cooper might have had a chance to win for Best Actor. Of all seven nominations, Maestro’s strongest win categories are Best Cinematography and Best Sound. It would struggle in Best Makeup and Hairstyling, especially against Poor Things, and the fact that the use of a prosthetic nose was considered ethnic cosplay and offensive by certain members of the Jewish community.
Barbie – 8 Nominations
- Best Picture – David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, and Robbie Brenner
- Best Supporting Actor – Ryan Gosling
- Best Supporting Actress – America Ferrera
- Best Adapted Screenplay – Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach
- Best Costume Design – Jacqueline Durran
- Best Original Song – “I’m Just Ken” – Music and Lyrics by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt
- Best Original Song – “What Was I Made For?” – Music and Lyrics by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
- Best Production Design – Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer
It’s practically impossible to get over the Barbenheimer phenomenon of 2023. Although many 2024 Oscars predictions believed Barbie and Oppenheimer would go head-to-head in the Oscars Big 5 and total nominations. Although it has only 8 nominations, it’s still a worthy contender in most categories it was nominated for. Besides the 2024 People’s Choice Awards, where it won The Movie of the Year, Barbie failed to win in a similar category in any other major awards. In all honesty, it goes beyond the assumed “snub,” but mostly because it’s up against several notable films in the Best Picture category.
Although the 2024 Oscars is Ryan Gosling’s third nomination, predictions are still unfavorable for the actor. While there’s no doubt Gosling is a fantastic actor, especially with his performance in Barbie, the actor would have to wait another year to clinch an Oscar win. The same applies to America Ferrera. Despite being one of three first-timers in the Best Supporting Actress category, it would be a hard win against Emily Blunt, Jodie Foster, and underdog Da’Vine Joy Randolph.
A cross-section of the public believes Barbie was wrongly placed in the Best Adapted Screenplay category, as there wasn’t an original story to be adapted from. This could be used as a sentimental leverage from the Academy to give Barbie a win for Best Adapted Screenplay. If Barbie misses out on Best Costume Design to Poor Things, Barbie will win Best Production Design (with the only true competition being Napoleon). Barbie has a clear win for Best Original Song with two nominations, but the Academy has been known to favor masterpieces like “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” for inclusiveness. It won’t be a surprise if Barbie is bested in this category.
Killers of the Flower Moon – 10 Nominations
- Best Picture – Martin Scorsese, Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, and Daniel Lupi
- Best Director – Martin Scorsese
- Best Actress – Lily Gladstone
- Best Supporting Actor – Robert De Niro
- Best Cinematography – Rodrigo Prieto
- Best Film Editing – Thelma Schoonmaker
- Best Production Design – Jack Fisk and Adam Willis
- Best Costume Design – Jacqueline West
- Best Original Score – Robbie Robertson
- Best Original Song – Scott George (for “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)”)
Martin Scorsese is a leading contender for Best Director, making it one of Killers of the Flower Moon 2024 Oscars win predictions. Killers of the Flower Moon did not win Best Picture in any other major awards. It’s unlikely it would win at the 96th Academy Awards. Robert De Niro‘s performance in the film deserved its nomination, but the 2024 Oscars predictions favor Sterling K. Brown‘s middle-aged gay man performance and Robert Downey Jr.’s solid portrayal and performance in Oppenheimer.
Lily Gladstone’s nomination for Best Actress for Killers of the Moon is the film’s highest probability of winning at the 2024 Oscars. Predictions are generally unfavorable for Killers of the Moon, mostly because it goes into the ceremony with the third-highest nominations. Killers of the Moon is not expected to win more than half of its nominations, as Best Actress and Best Original Song are its strongest nominations.
Poor Things – 11 Nominations
- Best Picture – Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone
- Best Director – Yorgos Lanthimos
- Best Actress – Emma Stone
- Best Supporting Actor – Mark Ruffalo
- Best Adapted Screenplay – Tony McNamara
- Best Original Score – Jerskin Fendrix
- Best Production Design – Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek
- Best Cinematography – Robbie Ryan
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling – Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier, and Josh Weston
- Best Costume Design – Holly Waddington
- Best Film Editing – Yorgos Mavropsaridis
Based on the 2024 Oscars predictions, Poor Things will be one of the biggest winners at the 96th Academy Awards. Not necessarily because it has a higher number of nominations but because it would win a significant number of them. Besides Best Actor, it has a nomination in all Big 5 categories. Save for Lily Gladstone, Poor Things‘ Emma Stone has a clear win for Best Actress. Judging by the depth of performance, Stone delivered a jaw-dropping performance as Bella Baxter. Poor Things‘ strongest win categories include Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Costume Design.
Oppenheimer – 13 Nominations
- Best Picture – Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, and Christopher Nolan
- Best Director – Christopher Nolan
- Best Actor – Cillian Murphy
- Best Supporting Actor – Robert Downey Jr.
- Best Supporting Actress – Emily Blunt
- Best Adapted Screenplay – Christopher Nolan
- 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 – Ruth De Jong and Claire Kaufman
- Best Sound – Willie D. Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo and Kevin O’Connell
With the odds stacked in its favor, Oppenheimer is predicted to be the biggest winner at the 96th Academy Awards. If its 13 category nominations aren’t an added advantage, in the 2024 Oscars predictions, Oppenheimer is a notable contender in most of the 13 categories in which it was nominated. Oppenheimer could easily be Christopher Nolan’s first Academy Awards win after being nominated five times in the past and with 3 nominations at the 96th Academy Awards.
Winning at several other major awards, Oppenheimer’s Best Picture win has been one of the top 2024 Oscars predictions. As much as Jeffrey Wright is long overdue for an Oscar, Cillian Murphy truly deserves the Best Actor win. As much as Emily Blunt is being favored for a win, Oppenheimer wouldn’t get a win for Best Actor and Best Actress. Oppenheimer’s strongest categories are Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Production Design. If you think these 2024 Oscars predictions are a good pick, check out these 10 actors who had their first nominations at the 96th Academy Awards.
