The chain reaction set off by the fusion of Barbie and Oppenheimer come to a head at the Oscars on Sunday.
Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan’s epic drama about the father of the atomic bomb, and half of last summer’s “Barbenheimer” phenomenon – is the overwhelming favourite to win best picture honors and much more on Hollywood’s biggest night.
The film is tipped to take golden statuettes for best director, supporting actor for Robert Downey Jnr, and a host of technical prizes from cinematography and editing to sound and score.
It also has a strong chance at best actor for Cillian Murphy, who is locked in a tight race with Paul Giamatti of The Holdovers.
Elsewhere, the competition for best actress promises to be a nail biter.
Emma Stone, who previously won an Academy Award for La La Land, is considered one of the finest actresses of her generation. She gives a stunning, brave performance in Poor Things.
Lily Gladstone in a scene from Killers of the Flower Moon. Photo: Apple TV+ via AP
But Lily Gladstone of Killers of the Flower Moon has not just the clout of her director Martin Scorsese, but the weight of history behind her.
She is seeking to become the first Native American to win an acting Oscar.
Should the two front runners cancel one another out, “you cannot underestimate Sandra Hüller … she is the underdog,” said one Oscars voter, who asked to remain anonymous.
Sandra Hüller in a scene from Anatomy of a Fall. Photo: Neon via AP
Hüller stars in French courtroom thriller Anatomy of a Fall, which is the front runner for best original screenplay, and in Auschwitz drama The Zone of Interest, for which the United Kingdom is expecting its first best international film Oscar.
And what about Barbie, released on the same weekend last summer as Oppenheimer, prompting a bizarre and highly meme-able double bill that collectively grossed US$2.4 billion worldwide?
The surreal feminist comedy is unlikely to leave the Oscars empty-handed.
A scene from Barbie with Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie. Photo: Warner Bros.
As well as technical prizes like costume design, it boasts the two front runners for best song.
Both Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” and the movie’s show-stopping “I’m Just Ken” will be performed during the Oscars gala.
Supporting actor nominee Ryan Gosling’s first-ever live performance of the latter power ballad is likely to be a standout moment.
Lead actress Margot Robbie is nominated as a producer, America Ferrera as supporting actress, and Greta Gerwig for screenplay.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph in a scene from The Holdovers. Photo: Seacia Pavao/Focus Features via A)
Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers) is the firm favourite to win for best supporting actress, while race satire American Fiction could check the Oppenheimer sweep with adapted screenplay honours.
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