The 2024 Oscars have come and gone. Oppenheimer led the way with 13 nominations heading into the night, winning seven total awards.
But not all winners are equal. And there were some big losers in the wake of the results. Christopher Nolan is likely thrilled with his haul, but Bradley Cooper still seeks the elusive Oscar win.
Biggest winners and losers from 2024 Oscars
Below are some of the biggest winners and losers from the March 10 ceremony.
Winner: Christopher Nolan, Universal
Christopher Nolan took a big swing by jumping ship from Warner Bros to Universal. His previous films have largely been distributed by the former. After Tenet, he made the move to Universal for his latest historical epic, Oppenheimer.
The gamble was a huge win. Not only did Oppenheimer gross over $950 million worldwide at the box office, it took home seven of its 13 awards at the Oscars.
Among those wins were Best Picture and Best Director nods for Nolan. He had previously been nominated for those awards for the likes of Inception and Dunkirk. However, this marked his first win in either category. Plus, Cillian Murphy got his well-deserved win for Best Actor.
Winner: The animation genre
Studio Ghibli's The Boy and the Heron took home the Best Animated Feature award. This was the second time one of Hayao Miyazaki's films won the award after Spirited Away took home the second-ever award. Two of his other films, Howl's Moving Castle and The Wind Rises, were nominated for the award in subsequent years.
And while Miyazaki wasn't present to accept the award, it was a fitting way to honor the legend. The Boy and the Heron very well could be his last film. and one last award for an icon doesn't hurt anyone.
Plus, the field was slim. Franchise flicks like Elemental and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse were the Studio Ghibli joint's biggest competition. Robot Dreams and Nimona were the other two nominees.
Loser: Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon completely struck out at the 2024 Oscars. The film garnered 10 nominations including Best Picture and didn't win in a single category — even the below-the-line ones.
The biggest upset was Lily Gladstone, who lost Best Actress to Emma Stone (Poor Things). She appeared to be the heavy favorite heading into the ceremony and she ultimately left empty-handed.
This is the same fate Scorsese's last film, The Irishman, suffered at the Oscars. Wanting to recognize other artists is understandable. But it's still surprising to see a legend like Scorsese go home without any awards.
Winner: Billie Eilish
For the second time in her young career, Billie Eilish won Best Original Song. She previously won for “No Time to Die,” the title song of the James Bond film. With the win, Eilish broke an 87-year-old record to become the youngest artist to win two Oscars. Luise Rainer previously held the record.
Loser: Bradley Cooper
A lot was made about Bradley Cooper's antics during the awards circuit. The Silver Linings Playbook actor manages to balance check-clearing roles in the MCU and auteur films like A Star Is Born. It seems for every fun role like his cameo in Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves there's a Maestro.
Speaking of Maestro, Cooper's Leonard Bernstein drama, the film was a huge loser at the 2024 Oscars. Like Killers of the Flower Moon, the film took home zero awards despite being nominated for seven.
At this rate, it feels as though Cooper will have to win an Oscar as a producer.
Winner: Robert Downey Jr.
Unlike Cooper, Robert Downey Jr. finally took home gold. You could argue that Downey was overdue for an Oscar after his decades-long resume. However, the timing was never right.
He lost in 1993 to Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman), who was similarly long overdue for a trophy. Even if Pacino didn't win, Downey would have had a tough time getting past Clint Eastwood's performance in Unforgiven. His 2009 playing field was similarly tough with the likes of Sean Penn (the ultimate winner) and Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) also in the running.
But alas, Robert Downey Jr. is finally an Oscar winner for his performance as Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer. He gave an incredible performance and now has one of the greatest comeback stories in Hollywood. After becoming the face of the MCU, it appeared unlikely Downey would ever garner another Oscar nomination. Here he is with a trophy on his shelf.
Loser: Margot Robbie, Barbie
One may argue that Barbie nearly being shut out at the Oscars further cements the point of the monologue America Ferrera delivers in Greta Gerwig's film. Semantics aside, it was a bit surprising to see the biggest film of 2023 fail to win any other awards. “What Was I Made For?” was a shoo-in for Best Original Song, but the film failed to win anything else (maybe Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie should have been nominated after all).
At least Billie Eilish got to make history with her Best Original Song win. And Ryan Gosling's “I'm Just Ken” performance made the most of its three-minute segment.
Winner: Da'Vine Joy Randolph
The Holdovers features great performances from Paul Giamatti and newcomer Dominic Sessa. However, it was Da'Vine Joy Randolph who stole the show.
She was previously her a Tony Award for her role in Ghost, but she was long overdue for the spotlight. Hopefully, The Holdovers will propel her career to the next level. It's up to her team, including her publicist whom she shouted out in her acceptance speech, to keep her momentum up.
Winner: Poor Things
Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things was a big winner at the 2024 Oscars. While it trailed behind Oppenheimer with 11 nominations to its name, it took home some important awards. Yes, Emma Stone won her second Best Actress award, but the film also took home three below-the-line awards including Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Costume Design.
Someday, Lanthimos will win an Oscar. It feels inevitable at this point.
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