Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer, which is arguably Hollywood’s biggest event of the year, dominated, and how. The biopic starring Cillian Murphy won seven Oscars at the 96th Academy Awards, which were held recently.
Several of the biggest prizes of the evening went to Oppenheimer, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), and Best Director (Christopher Nolan). In the Best Supporting Actor category, Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Lewis Strauss, the head of the Atomic Energy Commission, brought him his first career Oscar. In the category, he defeated the fan favorite Ken, Ryan Gosling, who was up for a nomination for his role in Margot Robbie’s Barbie.
Oppenheimer’s victory is expected, though, as the company was tipped to take home the major honors following its dominance at several award shows this season. Oppenheimer had taken home Best Picture honors from the Critics Choice and Golden Globe ceremonies in addition to the BAFTAs. Since the nominations were first revealed, which was more than a month ago, it has actually been winning the game. Oppenheimer had not one, not two, but thirteen nods at the time and was leading the race.
Emma Stone took home the night’s other major prize, Best Actress, for her superb performance in Poor Things. Stone won two Oscars in total. Prior to this, she had received recognition for her performance in La La Land, where she starred opposite Ryan Gosling.
Barbie was also turned down at the Oscars ceremony. Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera, who were nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actress, respectively, did not win. Additionally, Barbie was nominated for Best Picture, a title it lost to Oppenheimer.
On July 21, Barbie and Oppenheimer were both widely received by critics and audiences alike when they were released in theaters.
The Oscars were held in Los Angeles on March 11 and were hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.