Hollywood has plenty of reasons to freak out these days: The rise of artificial intelligence. The struggle to turn a profit in streaming. The waning interest in superhero spectacles and other familiar franchises.
But the industry will press pause on those anxieties Sunday and roll out the red carpet for the 96th Academy Awards. Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” a three-hour epic about the race to build the atomic bomb during World War II, leads the pack of contenders with 13 nods. This year’s other major nominees include “Barbie,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Poor Things.”
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Here’s a guide to the show — and don’t forget to follow NBCNews.com’s live coverage of the telecast Sunday.
How to watch the Oscars
The ceremony is set to be televised live on ABC starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT — earlier than usual. If you’re a cable or satellite subscriber, you can stream the show through ABC’s website or its mobile app.
Who’s hosting?
Jimmy Kimmel is hosting for the fourth time, following go-rounds in 2017, 2018 and 2023. (The show went without an emcee in 2019, 2020 and 2021; Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes co-hosted in 2022, the year Will Smith slapped Chris Rock.)
Kimmel’s most notable moment on the Oscars stage came during his first hosting stint, when the musical “La La Land” was mistakenly announced as the year’s best picture over the actual winner, the independent drama “Moonlight.”
What are the best picture nominees?
Ten movies are up for the Oscars’ top prize this year: Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction,” Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers,” Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” Celine Song’s “Past Lives,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” and Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest.”
The eclectic mix of nominees runs the gamut from box-office titans (“Barbenheimer”) to relatively small-scale projects, such as the low-budget romantic drama “Past Lives” and the French courtroom thriller “Anatomy of a Fall.”
Who are the front-runners?
“Oppenheimer” is widely considered a lock for best picture. The film earned equivalent honors at the Golden Globe Awards, the Critics’ Choice Awards, the British Academy Film Awards, or BAFTAs, and the Producers Guild of America Awards.
None of the acting nominees is more of a sure thing than Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who is almost certain to win the best supporting actress trophy for her performance as a boarding school cafeteria manager mourning the death of her son in the Vietnam War in “The Holdovers.”
Randolph has already nabbed a Golden Globe, a Critics’ Choice Award, a BAFTA and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her work in the movie.
The three other acting races are not as predictable, but most awards pundits have put their proverbial money on Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”) for best actor, Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) for best actress and Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”) for best supporting actor.
If voters honor Gladstone, she would become the first Native American person to win a competitive acting Oscar in the 96-year history of the awards. Gladstone’s closest competition is probably Emma Stone, the star of the surrealist fable “Poor Things.”
Any big snubs this year?
You probably heard that Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the director and the star of “Barbie,” respectively, were left out of the running — two of the highest-profile snubs in the academy’s modern history. They were nominated in other categories, though: Gerwig for best adapted screenplay, alongside her husband, Noah Baumbach; Robbie as one of the producers of “Barbie.”
Oscars observers were also surprised that Todd Haynes’ “May December,” a provocative psychodrama inspired by the Mary Kay Letourneau scandal, picked up just one nomination, for best original screenplay. The film’s trio of stars — Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman and Charles Melton — all seemed to have momentum at the start of awards season.
In a few cases, acclaimed films were shut out of the list of nominees altogether, including Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers,” Sean Durkin’s “The Iron Claw” and Aki Kaurismäk’s “Fallen Leaves.”
Who’s presenting?
The roster of presenters includes the four performers who won acting Oscars at last year’s ceremony: Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis (all from “Everything Everywhere All at Once”), as well as Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”).
The presenter lineup includes other actors who have won Academy Awards over the years, including Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight,” “Green Book”), Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”), Jennifer Lawrence (“Silver Linings Playbook”), Rita Moreno (“West Side Story”), Matthew McConaughey (“Dallas Buyers Club”) and Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”).
Also on the list: Bad Bunny, Dwayne Johnson, Kate McKinnon, John Mulaney, Ramy Youssef, Zendaya, Steven Spielberg, Melissa McCarthy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sally Field and Issa Rae.
Who’s performing?
The vocalists behind the five nominees for best original song are expected to perform:
- Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson (“I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie”)
- Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell (“What Was I Made For” from “Barbie”)
- Becky G (“The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot”)
- Jon Batiste (“It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony”)
- Scott George and the Osage Singers (“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon”)
“What Was I Made For” is considered the front-runner in this category, especially after the track won song of the year at the Grammys. But don’t sleep on “I’m Just Ken.”
