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March 10, 2024 will see the most-awaited event of the entertainment world, the Oscars 2024. The 96th Academy Awards have already presented the list of presenters, performers, and hosts. The nominations have been voted by ten thousand plus members over the last four months.
With the votes concluded, the results are finalized. However, movie enthusiasts worldwide must wait until host Jimmy Kimmel calls the presenters on stage to announce winners in each category.
In the meantime, fans can predict the winners at their level. This article looks into the most probable winners in each category and their strong contenders. It will also discuss the titles that were snubbed at the Oscars 2024.
Disclaimer: The following article solely reflects the author's opinions.
Oscars 2024: Forecast of winners, strong contenders and more
While Oppenheimer looks like an obvious winner in many categories, Poor Things may pick up a few. Barbie looks like a strong contender tying with Poor Things and may give the latter an intense competition.
The possible winner per category in Oscars 2024 is predicted below, followed by its strong competitor and the alternative, which was given a cold shoulder.
Best Picture
A blockbuster hit, Oppenheimer, released by Universal Pictures, looks to be the most likely winner. Being a biopic of the most dramatic era of history could be the added reason for the win at the Oscars 2024.
The movie may have strong runners-up in Poor Things and American Fiction, but they seem to have a low chance of winning the crown. However, The Eight Mountains is a movie that was not nominated but deserved to be on the list.
Best Director
Christopher Nolan is predicted to be the clear winner in this category in Oscars 2024 for Oppenheimer. His The Dark Knight series had deserved to win when the crown had eluded him.
Another strong contender for the title could be Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest. The two directors who were given the cold shoulder are Cord Jefferson for American Fiction and Robin Campillo for Red Island.
Best Actor
Cillian Murphy is the top contender to come out as the winner for his lead role in Oppenheimer. The dark and realistic performance from the talented actor seems to be the most deserving candidate.
It is undeniable that Paul Giamatti’s performance in The Holdovers is noteworthy, considering that the actor has a large body of work behind him. However, Joaquin Phoenix should have been on the nominees’ list for his role in Napoleon.
Best Actress
Lily Gladstone would be the most likely candidate for the winner in this category for her role in The Killers of the Flower Moon. Voters may consider that she belongs to the Native American community, and her win in the Oscars 2024 would make a statement.
Emma Stone is a strong contender for the title of her role in Poor Things, and she may eventually win. The actresses snubbed in this category were Sydney Sweeney for Reality and Teyana Taylor for A Thousand and One.
Best Actor in Supporting Role
Robert Downey Jr. has done an excellent job in Oppenheimer and deserves to win in this category. While he may come out as the most-voted candidate, other contenders for the title are very close seconds to him.
For many fans, Ryan Gosling deserves to be the winner for his role in Barbie. However, John Magaro of Past Lives was not nominated. Another cold-shoulder candidate is Milo Machado Graner, who was chosen for his Anatomy of a Fall role.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Da’Vine Joy Randolph seems to come out far ahead of other nominees for her role in The Holdovers. The actor has consistently won all the other awards this season and is most likely to be the winner in Oscars 2024.
While Joy Randolph deserves the title, Emily Blunt is an alternate contender for her understated acting in Oppenheimer. However, Audra McDonald should have been nominated for her role in Origin, besides Sandra Hüller for The Zone of Interest.
Best Original Screenplay
Justine Triet and Arthur Harari will likely win this category for Anatomy of a Fall and deserve to win Oscars 2024 if the other season's awards are anything to go by.
While it is agreed that Anatomy of Fall is ahead in the competition, Celine Song’s Past Lives is a strong contender for the award. However, it is unfortunate that Red Island, Monster, and The Boy and the Heron were not included in the nominations.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Two strong contenders - The Zone of Interest and American Fiction - are in a tight spot for the winner in this category. A tough place to predict between two well-written screenplays, American Fiction may win by a close margin.
Tina Satter’s Reality and Ava DuVernay’s Origin were given a miss in the nominated list for the Oscars 2024 but deserved to be recognized.
Best Animated Feature
While The Boy and the Heron was an engaging movie, the winner in this category could be Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse for the spectacle, action, and plot. With both the titles winning some and losing some awards of the season, it will likely be a close call for the winner.
Unfortunately, Orion and the Dark and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem did not make it to the list of nominated for Oscars 2024.
Best Documentary Feature
As most voters have predicted, 20 Days in Mariupol is the most likely winner in this category. With wars raging in many parts of the world, the documentary about the Russian siege of a Ukrainian city is expected to catch the maximum votes.
While To Kill a Tiger is a close second, American Symphony, Beyond Utopia, and Occupied City are some titles that were snubbed but deserved to be nominated.
Best International Feature Movie
Among the nominees in the category, The Zone of Interest from the United Kingdom is likely a clear choice for most voters. The other nominations did not have as good an impact on viewers as The Zone of Interest did.
While some experts may feel that if Anatomy of a Fall from France had submitted a submission in this category, it could have been the winner. However, titles given a miss are Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, The Taste of Things, and Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World.
Best Cinematography
Hoyte van Hoytema will likely win this award for Oppenheimer. The movie’s run on the IMAX screens added to the effect, leading to this win at the 2024 Oscars.
Robbi Ryan for Poor Things deserves to be second in this category. However, The Zone of Interest was not nominated besides Saltburn and Ferrari, which were visually spectacular.
Best Original Score
Oppenheimer will be picking up this award. Ludwig Goransson’s music made the three-hour-long movie smooth and supported the drama well in theatres.
While most experts feel Oppenheimer deserves to win, Robbie Robertson of Killers of the Flower Moon could also win the award. However, it is a surprise that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was not nominated in this category.
Best Song
Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For? from the movie Barbie seems to be a likely winner since Oscar voters already know and prefer Eilish. However, it may lose to another song from Barbie, I’m Just Ken.
Some missed nominations include Live That Way Forever from The Iron Claw and Workin from The Color Purple.
Best Sound
There is a scope for a surprise winner between Oppenheimer and The Zone of Interest. While Oppenheimer presented an impressive sound effect, The Zone of Interest used the background sound to add to the plot.
In this category, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Robot Dreams were movies that got a snub at the Oscars 2024.
Best Editing
While Oppenheimer may be the winner in this category, there is no denying that the other four nominees are equally well-edited. What may work for Oppenheimer is the swift movement across the timeline without breaking the continuity.
While Anatomy of a Fall deserves to be the runner-up for the title, Air and The Iron Claw could have been included in the nominations for Oscars 2024.
Best Production Design
There can be a close call between Barbie and Poor Things in this award category. While either can win the Oscars 2024, Barbie may get the more popular vote. However, Poor Things picked up the BAFTA and came out on top.
The Zone of Interest should have been a nominee for Oscars 2024 for the overall visual presentation.
Best Costume Design
It may be a tough choice between Jacqueline Durran for Barbie and Holly Waddington for Poor Things. On the one hand, Barbie pushed the audience to dress up to go to theatres and start a trend, but Oscar voters are traditionally known to vote for elaborate period-piece gowns, as seen in the latter.
While the winner in this category deserves to receive the award, it is unfortunate that Lindy Hemming was not included in the list for her designs in Wonka. Blue Beetle and The Taste of Things were also snubbed.
Best Makeup and Hair Styling
Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou, and Lori McCoy-Bell for Maestro deserve to win this award for the consistent transformation through aging, as displayed by Bradley Cooper. While Willer Dafoe’s Frankenstein chin may be dramatic, Poor Things may remain runner-up.
Blackberry and Iron Claw are two movies that were given a miss in the nominations list for Oscars 2024.
Best Visual Effects
Most experts in this category predict that Godzilla Minus One will win. While the movie used a budget of only $15 million for the visual effects, director Takashi Yamazaki has since impressed voters with the merchandise. However, some experts believe The Creator may be an equally likely contender.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Color Purple, and Iron Claw were titles that deserved to be recognized but missed being on the list for Oscars 2024.
Other award categories in Oscars 2024
The shorts are awarded in separate categories at the Oscars. The three categories are – Best Animated Short, Best Documentary Short, and Best Live-Action Short.
The most likely winner for the Best Animated Short, as per experts, is War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko, which closes with a John Lennon song.
In the category of Best Documentary Short, industry experts are confused over two titles, The ABCs of Book Banning and The Last Repair Shop. One is about books, and the other is about the music industry.
As for the Live Action Short, Red, White, and Blue is a serious nominee that challenges The After. However, some experts think The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar may be the surprising winner of the category.
Watch out for the Oscars 2024 to catch the winners for the year.
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