Barbenheimer’s reign will continue this Oscar season
It is that time of the year again, one of my favourite times, the film awards season. Very close on the heels of my excitement around the festive season of Diwali and Christmas comes a time of celebration when all the incredible films of the past year get acknowledged and bestowed with the most coveted awards of cinema, the Oscars, awarded by the US-based Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. After the pre-cursors to the Oscars—namely, the Golden Globes, Screen Actor’s Guild and Independent Spirit awards and others—are over, the Oscar race seems to get clearer, although nothing can be said for certain till awards night on 10 March.
One could be in for a few surprises, as always. The Oscar nominations are out and some of the snubs are startling. Filmmakers Greta Gerwig and Celine Song being left out in the Best Director category is upsetting, but Justine Triet’s nomination for her film Anatomy of a Fall saved it from direction becoming an all-male contest.
The biggest astonishment is Margot Robbie not being recognized for her role as Barbie in Greta Gerwig’s film by that name. Last summer was dominated by ‘Barbenheimer,’ short-hand for Barbie and Oppenheimer. Both films were released on the same day last July and made news across the world with their clash.
Barbie went on to mint almost $1.5 billion worldwide, its huge success serving as box-office validation for Greta Gerwig. The Christopher Nolan directed Oppenheimer, on the other hand, got collections of nearly $950 million and tremendous critical acclaim. The Barbenheimer saga continued into the awards season at the end of 2023, with both films garnering multiple nominations.
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