2024 Oscar Buzz: 5 Movies Expected To Receive Best Picture Nods

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Movie fans, let the 2024 Oscars countdown begin! But first, be sure to mark your calendars: this year's Oscars' nominations announcement, presented by Zazie Beetz and Jack Quaid on Tuesday, Jan. 23, will air live on Good Morning America at 5:30 a.m. PT / 8:30 a.m. ET.

Let's also not forget the 96th Academy Awards ceremony — it will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on March 10, and will be telecast live coast-to-coast at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET on ABC.

It is a daunting task to come up with predictions for the Oscar nominations across all 23 categories, however, there are five films that quickly became the darlings of the awards circuit. All of them accumulated accolades from prestigious awards shows, guilds and institutes such as Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards (CCA), Producers Guild of America (PGA), Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG), American Film Institute Honorees (AFI), National Board of Review Honorees (NBR) and British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA).

Related:

• Best Movies Of 2023: Searing Satires And Breathtaking Biopics
• Golden Globes Winners: 2024 Complete List

Remember the viral trend and meme, "Barbenheimer"? It's no surprise to movie fans and critics alike that two of last summer’s box-office hits, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” have made the shortlist.

Without further ado, here are the five films, in no particular order, that have received a ton of Oscar buzz, so much so that we are predicting each to receive, at the very least, a 2024 Best Picture Oscar nomination.

Top Five 2024 Oscars Favorites

“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)

Producers: Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan

Stars: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr.

Director: Christopher Nolan

An epic movie steeped in duality and tragedy, “Oppenheimer” sets forth the life story of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), the man known as the “father of the atomic bomb.” Aptly, it is Christopher Nolan’s deconstruction of an enigma, a conflicted genius in the throes of moral and ethical dilemmas, as seen through Murphy's piercing blue eyes.

• Best Picture/Equivalent Wins/Honors: Golden Globes (Drama), AFI, CCA
• Best Picture/Equivalent Nominations: PGA, NBR, SAG, BAFTA
• Patch’s Nominations Predictions: Best Picture; Cillian Murphy for Best Actor; Robert Downey Jr. for Best Supporting Actor; Emily Blunt for Best Supporting Actress; Christopher Nolan for Best Director.

“Barbie” (Warner Bros.)

Producers: David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Robbie Brenner

Stars: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling

Director: Greta Gerwig

Greta Gerwig deconstructs the iconic doll "Barbie" with a highly entertaining satirical twist on the patriarchy and feminism in a utopian feminist milieu where women can be anything and whatever they desire to be regardless of attitudes, shapes, sizes and professions — along with men as mere accessories. Yes! That’s Barbie Land, y'all and Barbie (Margot Robbie) rules with her boy toy Ken (Ryan Gosling) in tow.

• Best Picture/Equivalent Wins/Honors: AFI
• Best Picture/Equivalent Nominations: Golden Globes (Musical or Comedy), NBR, SAG, CCA, PGA
• Patch’s Nominations Predictions: Best Picture; Margot Robbie for Best Actress, Ryan Gosling for Best Supporting Actor; Greta Gerwig for Best Director.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures)

Producers: Dan Friedkin, Martin Scorsese, Bradley Thomas, Daniel Lupi

Stars: Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone

Director: Martin Scorsese

Love and betrayal collide in Martin Scorsese’s "Killers of the Flower Moon," a feature drama about the unsettling real-life story of a series of brazen murders that took place in Osage County, Oklahoma in the early 20th century. Known as the “Reign of Terror,” the horrific and tragic period ensued after the discovery of oil reserves under the Osage Nation's land. Amid the tension, Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone bring to life a love affair gone sour.

• Best Picture/Equivalent Wins/Honors: PSIFF (Chairman's Vanguard Award), NYFCC, NBR, AFI Top 10
• Best Picture/Equivalent Nominations: Golden Globes (Drama), CCA, BAFTA, PGA
• Patch’s Nominations Predictions: Best Picture; Lily Gladstone for Best Actress; Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor; Robert De Niro for Best Supporting Actor; Martin Scorsese for Best Director

“The Holdovers” (Focus Features)

Producers: Mark Johnson, Bill Block, David Hemingson

Stars: Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa and Da'Vine Joy Randolph

Director: Alexander Payne

An irascible classics professor known for his outbursts of acerbic pontifical retorts. A troubled young man fraught with angst masked in a bravado of belligerence and insolence. A head cook living with grief over the loss of a loved one — On the surface, all of them —professor Hunham (Paul Giamatti), teenaged Angus (Dominic Sessa) and chef Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) — are disparate characters. However, deep inside, they are much alike. All three are suffering from deep-seated pain, and they are the anchors of “The Holdovers.”

• Best Picture/Equivalent Wins/Honors: AFI
• Best Picture/Equivalent Nominations: Golden Globes (Musical or Comedy), NBR, CCA, BAFTA, PGA
• Patch’s Nominations Predictions: Best Picture; Paul Giamatti for Best Actor; Da’Vine Joy Randolph for Best Supporting Actress; Dominic Sessa for Best Supporting Actor; Alexander Payne for Best Director

“Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)

Producers: Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone

Stars: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

In “Poor Things,” Yorgos Lanthimos continues his streak of wildly imaginative craftsmanship. A globetrotting tale of lust sans guilt, his latest directorial effort centers on a highly hypersexualized 30-year-old woman (Emma Stone) brought back to life “Frankenstein” style by a mad scientist. What makes her fascinating? Her beguiling and powerful naiveté.

• Best Picture/Equivalent Wins/Honors: AFI, Golden Globes (Musical or Comedy)
• Best Picture/Equivalent Nominations: CCA, NBR, BAFTA, PGA
• Patch’s Nominations Predictions: Best Picture; Emma Stone for Best Actress; Yorgos Lanthimos for Best Director