By JAKE COYLE (AP Film Writer)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hello, 'Oppenheimer.'
At the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday, 'Oppenheimer,' a big biographical movie, is likely to outshine all other movies, including 'Barbie,' during an election-year Oscars. This could be a big win for Christopher Nolan.
Early arrivals on Sunday included Jamie Lee Curtis, last year's best supporting actress winner, Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin, and members of the Osage Nation who will perform 'Wahzhazhe' from 'Killers of the Flower Moon' with Scott George.
The Oscars, starting at 7 p.m. EDT on ABC, will begin an hour earlier than usual because of daylight saving time. However, apart from the time change, this year's show will include many traditional Academy Awards elements. Jimmy Kimmel will host, previous winners will present awards, and a big studio film is set to win many awards.
However, there are many issues surrounding this year's show. Demonstrations are expected near the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles to protest the Israel-Hamas war. Police presence has been increased. The Ukraine war will be on the minds of some attendees, especially the journalist filmmakers behind the favored documentary '20 Days in Mariupol.' With the ongoing presidential election, politics could be a topic of discussion despite the awards season happening largely in isolation.
Hollywood also has its own problems to deal with.
The 2023 movie year was marked by a long strike over the future of the industry, which is grappling with the rise of streaming, artificial intelligence, and changing moviegoer preferences that have challenged even the most successful movie franchises. The academy, while largely nominating films like 'Killers of the Flower Moon' and 'Poor Things,' also embraced 'Oppenheimer,' which has 13 nominations, and Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie,' the highest-grossing movie of the year with over $1.4 billion in ticket sales and eight nominations.
Before the ABC broadcast, a red carpet preshow will start at 6:30 p.m. EDT. E! will start its red-carpet coverage at 4 p.m. EDT, and arrivals will be streamed on YouTube by The Associated Press.
The show can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app with a cable subscription. It can also be watched through services such as Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV, and FuboTV.
Five past winners in each acting category will announce winners together for the first time since 2009. Among the announced presenters are Zendaya, Al Pacino, Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Yeoh, Steven Spielberg, Dwayne Johnson, Matthew McConaughey, Lupita Nyong’o, Mahershala Ali, Nicolas Cage, and Bad Bunny.
All the nominees for the best original song will be performed, including the likely winner, 'What Was I Made For' from 'Barbie,' to be performed by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell. The other nominees are: 'I'm Just Ken,' performed by Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson; 'The Fire Inside' from 'Flamin' Hot,' to be performed by Becky G; Jon Batiste's 'It Never Went Away' from 'American Symphony'; and 'Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People),' from 'Killers of the Flower Moon,' to be performed by Scott George and the Osage Singers.
“Oppenheimer” is expected to win the best picture at the Oscars after winning at the producers, directors, and actors guilds. The movie is also likely to win in other categories. Christopher Nolan might win his first best director Oscar, and Robert Downey Jr. and Cillian Murphy are also predicted to win their first Academy Awards. Paul Giamatti from “The Holdovers” could also challenge Murphy.
The biggest suspense of the night is in the best actress category, with Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone being the top contenders. Emma Stone has previously won for her performance in “La La Land,” so if she wins, it will be her second Oscar. If Gladstone wins, she will make Academy Awards history as the first Native American to win a competitive Oscar.
Despite “Barbie” outperforming “Oppenheimer” at the box office, it is expected to take a back seat to Nolan’s film at the Oscars. Greta Gerwig was overlooked for best director, sparking criticism that some, including Hillary Clinton, said reflected the patriarchy parodied in the film.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph is expected to win best supporting actress for her performance in Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers.”
The 92-year-old composer John Williams is expected to attend the ceremony. He's nominated for the 49th time for best score for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ”. Additionally, “Godzilla Minus One” received a nomination for best visual effects, marking the first time Godzilla is going to the Oscars.
For the first time, two non-English language films are nominated for best picture: the German-language Auschwitz drama “The Zone of Interest” and the French courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall.” “The Zone of Interest” is the favorite to win best international film.
Historically, having popular movies in the running for the Oscars’ top awards has been good for TV ratings. The largest audience for the Academy Awards was when James Cameron’s “Titanic” swept the 1998 Oscars.
The previous year’s ceremony, where a very different best-picture contender in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” won, was watched by 18.7 million people, up 12% from the year before. ABC and the academy are hoping to continue the upward trend after reaching a low point in 2021.
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
For more coverage of this year’s Academy Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards
