As expected, the lineup is fantastic, and the competition is fierce. Blockbusters like Oppenheimer, Barbie, and Killers of the Flower Moon will compete for Best Picture, along with international additions like Anatomy of a Fall. Brace yourselves for surprises on March 10th as Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things will also chase the Golden Man in the 96th edition of the Academy Awards.
Betting experts and cinephiles at CasinoOnlineCA have partnered with film critics who have covered film industry awards for decades, having mastered winner predictions. Our in-depth research of the nominations helped us arrive at expert-backed Oscars 2024 winner predictions we exclusively share on our site and in this article.
The Contenders and Their Journey
Movie-wise, it was a “Barbenheimer” universe for a long time. However, the premiere of Poor Things (December 8th) turned things upside down. Rapidly, this comedy-drama rose to a potential Oscar-winning stardom. In the meantime, The Holdovers captured the attention of film critics, and the French Anatomy of a Fall joined the Oscar race. Let’s dive deeper into the stars of this year’s show — the movies that top the list of Oscar nominations.
Oppenheimer (13 Noms)
Five years after Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan is back at the Oscars with another war-related drama — Oppenheimer. This time, the action takes place during WWII and the race to build the first atomic bomb. The three-hour movie has much to offer — a thrilling true story, the magnificent performance of Cillian Murphy and masterful depictions of Nolan.
The Academy members are not the only ones who consider Oppenheimer a masterpiece. Leading up to the 13 Oscar Nominations, the movie collected eight Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and five Golden Globes. That’s to say, the odds of this movie winning 7+ Oscars are excellent, including the big ones — Best Motion Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound.
Poor Things (11 Noms)
“This eccentric drama delves into dilemmas like sexuality, gender roles, curiosity, love and consequences. All this is portrayed humoristically and dramatically, which will surely appeal to the artistic nerve of Academy Members. Likely, this won’t be enough to beat Oppenheimer’s cemented place as favourite for the Best Motion Picture category,” observes James Segrest, CasinoOnlineCA’s odds and gambling expert.
Still, Poor Things is a strong candidate for Best Director (Yorgos Lanthimos) and Best Actress in a Leading Role Oscars (Emma Stone). This is Lanthimos’s second nomination for a movie. He won a Golden Lion (Venice) for directing Poor Things and a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture. Emma Stone won a Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Motion Picture.
Killers of the Flower Moon (10 Noms)
Lily Gladstone of Scorcese’s Killers of the Flower Moon also won a Golden Globe for Best Actress but in a Drama Motion Picture. The movie combines Martin Scorsese’s storytelling mastery, his knack for complex plots and a faithful crew of brilliant actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.
Killers of the Flower Moon has received nominations for Best Motion Picture and Supporting Actor (De Niro). However, the movie is more likely to win Oscars for Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Editing, and Cinematography.
Barbie (9 Noms)
This fantasy adventure-drama deals with the harsh reality of the position of women in society with witty humour and music. It’s why Barbie won the hearts of audiences worldwide. Even though the director Greta Gerwig and the leading actress Margot Robie are not among the Oscar nominees, the movie can still win Oscars for Best Motion Picture, but more likely, it will take the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score.
The Road to Oscars 2024
January 2024 was a film awards marathon. The key dates and significant events leading up to the Oscars include:
- Jan 4 Palm Springs International Film Awards
- Jan. 6–7 Creative Arts Emmys
- Jan. 7 Golden Globe Awards
- Jan. 9 Governors Awards
- Jan. 10: Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations
- Jan. 11–16: Academy Awards nominations voting
- Jan. 11 National Board of Review Awards
- Jan. 12 AFI Awards
- Jan. 14 Critics Choice Awards
- Jan. 15 Emmy Awards
- Jan. 18 BAFTA Film Awards nominations
- Jan. 18–28 Sundance Film Festival
With the Golden Globe Awards, Critics Choice Awards, AFI, and Emmys behind us, the main events to look forward to before hitting the red carpet of the Dolby Theatre are:
- Feb. 4 London Critics Circle Film Awards
- Feb. 4 Grammy Awards
- Feb. 10 Art Directors Guild Awards and Directors Guild of America Awards
- Feb. 12 Oscars nominees luncheon
- Feb. 13 Society of Composers of Lyricists Awards
- Feb. 18 BAFTA Film Awards
- Feb. 18 People’s Choice Awards
- Feb. 18 Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards
- Feb. 21 Writers Guild Awards nominations
- Feb. 22 Oscars final voting begins
- Feb. 27 Oscars final voting ends
- Feb. 24 Screen Actors Guild Awards
- Feb. 25 Film Independent Spirit Awards
- Feb. 25 Producers Guild Awards
- March 2 Cinema Audio Society Awards
- March 3 ACE Eddie Awards
- March 3 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards
The buzz generated by these ceremonies makes or breaks a movie’s reputation. Awards can push films and shows into the spotlight, affecting other award competitions, including the Oscars.
The popularity of a movie generated by awards can go a long way. It can influence music and theatre shows and make celebrity cameos in slot games and books. In general, it’s safe to say that the Movie Awards season can greatly influence culture.
Predictions and Potential Winners
Now, let’s discuss who’s likely to steal the show in the major Oscar categories.
Oppenheimer is a heavy hitter in the Best Motion Picture category. The film has the whole package – a great story and killer cinematography, making it a top contender for the big prize.
Best Motion Picture Oscar Odds
- Oppenheimer -700
- Poor Things +1000
- The Holdovers +1000
- Barbie +1800
- Anatomy of a Fall +2000
- Killers of the Flower Moon +2500
- The Zone of Interest +3300
- American Fiction +4000
- Past Lives +5000
- Maestro +6600
Best Director Oscar Odds
- Christopher Nolan -2000
- Yorgos Lanthimos +1600
- Martin Scorsese +1600
- Justine Triet +1800
- Jonathan Glazer +2000
Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar Odds
- Cillian Murphy -250
- Paul Giamatti +200
- Bradley Cooper +900
- Jeffrey Wright +2500
- Colman Domingo +3300
Emma Stone owns the Best Actress predictions in the category of leading ladies. Her performance in Poor Things is on a La La Land level and beyond. We know she’s This is her fourth Oscar nomination, and we believe she’ll win.
Best Actress in a Leading Role Oscar Odds
- Emma Stone -125
- Lily Gladstone -110
- Sandra Hüller +1000
- Carey Mulligan +1800
- Annette Bening +2500
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar Odds
- Robert Downey Jr. +1000
- Ryan Gosling +550
- Robert De Niro +1400
- Mark Ruffalo +1600
- Sterling K. Brown +2000
Best Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar Odds
- Da’Vine Joy Randolph -1600
- Danielle Brooks +900
- Emily Blunt +900
- America Ferrera +1800
- Jodie Foster +2500
Best Original Screenplay Oscar Odds
- The Holdovers -150
- Anatomy of a Fall +163
- Past Lives +350
- Maestro +1800
- May December +2000.
Although Greta Gerwig, the director of Barbie, wasn’t nominated for Best Director, she and Noah Baumbach were nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, and they are our favourites for this category.
Highlighting Excellence in Other Categories
Let’s look at some excellent categories that are only sometimes in the spotlight but deserve some attention at the Oscars.
First up, in the Best Animated Feature category, we have Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron,” which won a Golden Globe and is gearing up for an Oscar win. And let’s not forget the animated awesomeness of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”
Regardless of the Oscars’ outcome, animated films of this calibre have the potential to attain evergreen status. The combination of impressive graphics and compelling storytelling opens avenues for diverse applications, even extending to popular casino games infused with a narrative twist, video games and others.
And now for the global vibes. The Italian drama “Io Capitano” (‘I Captain”) has a good chance at winning the Oscar for Best International Feature Film. And on the documentary scene, the Canadian gem “To Kill A Tiger” – has what it takes to win the Oscar for Best Documentary.
These films bring great diversity and uniqueness, give us an insight into the vast world of storytelling, and take us on a wild ride of international cinematic brilliance.
Musical and Technical Excellence
We still don’t know who’s performing at the ceremony. However, if you check out the nominees for Best Original Song, Billie Eilish and Ran Gosling may be taking the stage.
The music in this category is truly diverse, with the soundtrack of Barbie having the most — two nominations. The hits include Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt’s “I’m Just Ken” and the soulful song “What Was I Made For? By Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell. Jon Batiste was also nominated for Best Original Song for his moving documentary ” American Symphony”.
This is Diane Warren’s fifteenth Oscar Nomination for “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot.” The famous songwriter has a spot in the Songwriters Hall of Fame and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Over at the Best Original Score Oscar competition — Ludwig Göransson has the best odds of winning it for Oppenheimer. The Swedish music maestro won the statuette five years back for the music of Black Panther and got nominated for the sequel. Oppenheimer is also a heavy contender in the Best Sound Category.
Conclusion
Seeing Bradley Cooper and Cillian Murphy in a battle for the golden statuette is reason enough to sit through the seemingly endless speeches on Oscar night. Over 18 million Americans are expected to tune in on March 10th and follow the lead of Jimmy Kimmel as the host of the Oscars for the fourth time.
Beyond the glamour and glitz, the Oscars are a big event for amazing storytellers and artists. The Academy Awards show celebrates the magic called cinema. So, brace yourselves for THE most exciting cinematic experience of the year!
