Historical epic Oppenheimer, about the race to build the first atomic bomb, has landed a leading 13 Oscar nominations and will compete for the prestigious best picture trophy.
Oppenheimer outpaced gothic comedy Poor Things, which received 11 nominations for the film industry’s highest honours.
Also in the best picture race were feminist doll adventure Barbie, Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro and Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon about the murders of members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma in the 1920s.
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Rounding out the field of 10 were American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Past Lives and The Zone of Interest.
Christopher Nolan, a best director nominee for Oppenheimer, said it was “a real thrill” to see his film pile up so many nominations.
“I think it’s a great year for movies, and it’s a real honour to be included,” Nolan said in an interview.
Barbie, last year’s highest-grossing movie, landed eight nominations including a supporting actress nod for America Ferrera and supporting actor for Ryan Gosling but voters passed over the Australian lead actress Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig.
Robbie is still nominated as a producer in the best picture line-up and Gerwig was nominated for the adapted screenplay prize alongside her husband and fellow screenwriter Noah Baumbach.
Bradley Cooper also was left off the best director list for Maestro, although he was nominated for best actor for starring in the film as composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein.
His competitors include Cillian Murphy, who played scientist J Robert Oppenheimer.
Ten of the 20 acting contenders were first-time nominees.
In a surprise, voters snubbed Leonardo DiCaprio, star of Killers of the Flower Moon.
Robert De Niro received a supporting actor nomination for the movie.
For best original song, Gosling’s sad ballad I’m Just Ken will compete with Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For?, also from Barbie.
Nominations for the 96th Oscars were announced on Tuesday by Atlanta star Zazie Beetz and The Boys actor Jack Quaid.
Winners will be chosen by the roughly 11,000 actors, producers, directors and film craftspeople who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The golden statuettes will be handed out at a Hollywood ceremony broadcast live on Walt Disney’s ABC on March 10.
Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel will return as host.
The Oscars will be broadcast live on Channel 7 and 7plus on March 11 and an encore screening that night after Australian Idol.
with PA
