With Box Office Hits Like ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer,’ Will Oscar Ratings Get a Boost?

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor All five of this year’s Academy Award-nominated original songs will be performed on the Dolby Theatre stage at the 96th Oscars. Jon Batiste, Becky G, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, Scott George and the Osage Singers, and as Variety previously reported, Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson will perform the memorable numbers.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Zendaya, Michelle Pfeiffer and Oscar winners Nicolas Cage and Al Pacino are among the first group of presenters for this year’s 96th Oscars ceremony. Also presenting are last year’s four acting winners — Brendan Fraser from “The Whale” and Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis from the best picture winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Oscar winners Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight” and “Green Book”), Jessica Lange (“Tootsie” and “Blue Sky”), Matthew McConaughey (“Dallas Buyers Club”), Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”) and Sam Rockwell (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”) also are set to take the stage. Raj Kapoor serves as the Oscars’ executive producer and showrunner, alongside executive producers Molly McNearney and Katy Mullan.

Justine Triet’s Anatomy of A Fall won Best Film and Director at the 49th edition of the French César awards on Friday.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor After a year hit with Hollywood strikes and an early buzz positioning Christopher Nolan’s drama about the creation of the atomic bomb as a frontrunner, sentiments from more than a dozen Oscar voters on the first day of final voting revealed a strong backing for Nolan. “Nolan fucking deserves it,” an anonymous voter emphasizes to Variety, highlighting the widespread acclaim for Nolan’s direction and billion-dollar blockbuster.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor UPDATED: Jason Reitman has gathered more than two dozen filmmakers to help acquire Westwood’s historic Village Theater, which will program first-run and repertory programming. The group includes JJ Abrams, Judd Apatow, Damien Chazelle, Chris Columbus, Ryan Coogler, Bradley Cooper, Alfonso Cuarón, Jonathan Dayton, Guillermo del Toro, Valerie Faris, Hannah Fidell, Alejandro González Iñárritu, James Gunn, Sian Heder, Rian Johnson, Gil Kenan, Karyn Kusama, Justin Lin, Phil Lord, David Lowery, Christopher McQuarrie, Chris Miller, Christopher Nolan, Alexander Payne, Todd Phillips, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Jay Roach, Seth Rogen, Emma Seligman, Brad Silberling, Steven Spielberg, Emma Thomas, Denis Villeneuve, Lulu Wang, and Chloé Zhao.

On its way to the Oscars, Christopher Nolan’s historical epic Oppenheimer has set a record at Peacock, landing the biggest launch weekend for any film on the platform.

In some ways, Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s biggest non-superhero movie, was a product of the pandemic. Until the winter of 2020, the director had been loyal to Warner Bros., and their logo was to be found on every film that Nolan either wrote, directed or produced.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Not too long ago, it would have been considered a box office suicide mission to pit any new release against a superhero movie. But this weekend’s showdown of Sony’s comic book adaptation “Madame Web” versus Paramount’s musical biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” demonstrates that’s no longer the case — superhero tentpoles no longer hold all the power. “One Love,” a PG-13 drama that’s aimed at older female audiences, towered over the newest Marvel (adjacent) flick, earning $51 million over the extended holiday weekend.

British Academy Film Awards security team revealed that they ousted a prankster shortly after he managed to join the cast and crew of “Oppenheimer” on stage after winning the coveted Best Film award on Sunday. “A social media prankster was removed by security last night after joining the winners of the final award on stage,” a BAFTA spokesperson told Deadline after the award show.

Mubi has snapped up rights across multiple territories on Made In England: The Films Of Powell And Pressburger, the Martin Scorsese-narrated doc set to debut this week at the Berlin Film Festival. 

Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy leads a quiet life away from the spotlight with his wife and two sons.

77th British Academy Film Awards on Sunday. Gothic fantasia “Poor Things” took five prizes.Christopher Nolan was named best director for “Oppenheimer,” and Cillian Murphy won the best actor prize for playing J.

Prince William has admitted that he's watched fewer films than usual this year ahead of his appearance at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs). His confession comes as his wife Kate Middleton recovers from her recent abdominal surgery.

Ahead of what looks to be a certain – at the time of writing – best actor win for his work on Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy leads this absorbing drama from Belgian filmmaker Tim Mielants; a story about a working-class father who has questions about the local convent who has more than a hold on a small town in Ireland.Based upon the 2021 novel of the same name by Claire Keegan (whose previous work, Foster was adapted into The Quiet Girl to international acclaim), and from a screenplay by Enda Walsh, the film is set in the mid-eighties, specifically during the lead-up to Christmas. Murphy is Bill Furlong, owner of a small coal and fuel firm in the harbour town of Wexford on the southeastern coast of Ireland.

As we race to the Oscar finish line, it has certainly been a year to remember. The movie business all but shook off the last vestiges of the Covid era with the phenomenon that was Barbenheimer — collectively, Barbie and Oppenheimer earned more than $2 billion globally at the box office. Not only is cinema alive and kicking, but both of those box office behemoths are Oscar-nominated for Best Picture.

Helen Mirren isn’t too troubled by Barbie‘s 2024 Oscars snubs.

Whether you plan to spend the long weekend on vacation or relaxing at home, there’s always time to kick back in front of the TV. From patriotic-themed offerings to Oscar-nominated films, to miniseries you may have missed, here’s an essential guide of what to watch, with something for everyone. This year’s leading Oscars contender is newly available to stream on Peacock, along with several “behind the scenes” featurettes.

Prince William will be attending the Bafta Film Awards in London, the palace has confirmed.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor “Always a bridesmaid, never the bride” certainly applies to the plight of 19 of this year’s longest-suffering Academy Award nominees. Spanning all 23 categories, these actors, filmmakers and artisans — including actor Annette Bening, filmmaker Wes Anderson and costume designer Jacqueline West — share a peculiar bond. Collectively, they have racked up an impressive 107 Oscar nominations over the years without once stepping onto the Dolby Theatre stage to deliver an acceptance speech.

The very best of the British and international film industries will be celebrated at the 77th BAFTA Film Awards this weekend. Hosted by Scottish actor David Tenant, the ceremony takes place at the Royal Festival Hall within London's Southbank Centre.