Golden Globes 2024: Oppenheimer wins top honours as Barbie gets snubbed

It was indeed a cinematic moment when two of the biggest films of Hollywood - Barbie and Oppenheimer- were released on the same day in July 2023. The Barbenheimer phenomenon- mostly a marketing gimmick of both teams - helped in drawing attention to the films. While Barbie faired well at the box office ($2.4 billion worldwide), Oppenheimer- it seems- gained more on Sunday night at Golden Globe Awards 2024. 

Christopher Nolan's drama about the inventor of the atomic bomb topped the Golden Globes but its fellow summer smash hit Barbie missed out on best comedy film honours to Poor Things. 

Oppenheimer took five prizes including best drama, best director for Nolan, best score, as well as acting wins for Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. Even though Greta Gerwig's film led the nominations list with nine nods, on Sunday, it only managed to take home two awards. Golden Globes 2024: See full list of winners

It won the award for best song, for a tune written by Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas. As the year's highest-grossing movie, it claimed a newly created trophy for box office achievement.

"We would like to dedicate this to every single person on the planet who dressed up and went to the greatest place on Earth, the movie theatres," said Margot Robbie, the film's star and producer.

"Thank you to all the Barbies and Kens in front of and behind the screen," added Gerwig.

Oppenheimer's big night at the Golden Globes

Emma Thomas, the film's producer and Nolan's wife, said her husband's three-hour epic about "one of the darkest developments in our history" is "unlike anything anyone else is doing."

Murphy, who plays brilliant scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, hailed his "visionary director," while Downey Jr, portraying the protagonist's bitter rival, praised the movie as a "masterpiece."

Celebrations at the Globes after an uncertain 2023

After an annus horribilis in which the industry was crippled by strikes, A-listers turned out in force to celebrate Sunday. 

Stars who were unable to promote their movies during the months-long Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) walkout used the occasion to make up for lost time on the Oscars campaign trail.

Along with movie stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, attendees included big names from the world of music such as Bruce Springsteen and Dua Lipa -- both nominated for best song -- and Taylor Swift representing her recent concert movie. The Globes were boycotted by the industry after allegations of corruption and racism rose to the surface in 2021, and the show was taken off air entirely a year later.

Since then, the controversial group of Los Angeles-based foreign journalists that created the Globes 80 years ago has been disbanded, and a wider net of overseas critics was brought in to choose this year's winners. "Golden Globes journalists, thanks for changing your game," said Downey Jr as he collected his prize. Golden Globes 2024: Cillian Murphy jokes about lack of seating on Oppenheimer set

Historic and diverse

The Globes provide a timely boost for the Oscars. The awards are considered as a precursor to the Oscars. Nominations voting for the Academy Awards begins Thursday, with the Oscars taking place this year on March 10.

Indigenous actor Lily Gladstone won best actress in a drama for her role in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon, delivering some of her emotional speech in the native language of the Blackfeet Nation. "This is an historic win, it doesn't belong to just me," she said. "This is for every little res kid."

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Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph bolstered their Oscars campaigns with wins for The Holdovers, in which they starred as a curmudgeonly history teacher and cook of a 1970s prep school, respectively.

The best screenplay and best non-English language film went to the French courtroom drama Anatomy of a Fall. Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron won best animated film. Golden Globes 2024 Best PDA Moment: Timothee Chalamet, Kylie Jenner bring date night to Globes

Meanwhile, in TV, Succession dominated, claiming best drama series, and acting wins for stars Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook and Matthew Macfadyen.

The Bear swept the comedy categories, while road-rage saga Beef did the same in limited series with its Asian actors winning in the acting category. 

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