5 biggest nomination surprise reveals in Oscar 2024

The hugely anticipated Oscar 2024 nominations are now out, setting the stage for an exciting event after a hugely eventful year for movies around the world. Amidst the aftermath of the SAG-AFRA strikes, a range of hugely accomplished projects came out in the past year.

Ranging from Oppenheimer, Barbie, to the Iron Claw, a number of projects will be remembered by fans for years to come. At the same time, some names were omitted from the nominations, much to the surprise of fans around the world.

Others seemingly got nominations despite not particularly being expected to. Here, we look at the 5 biggest nomination surprises that came out of the Oscars 2024.

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5 Biggest nomination surprises at Oscars 2024

#1 Greta Gerwig, Barbie (Director)

It is difficult at this point to ignore Gretta Gerwig, the iconic creator of Barbie, who has already been snubbed in the past at the Oscars for Little Women. This time around, the expectation was that she would be among the biggest contenders simply because of the unimaginable success Barbie managed around the world.

However, despite the critical and commercial success, Barbie ended up missing out. This was partly down to the nuanced selection process, although Gerwig has every right to be angry with the decision.

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#2 Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall (Director)

On one hand, fans will be disgruntled by the fact that Gretta Gerwig did not make it to the final list. On the other hand, Justine Triet’s inclusion for Anatomy of a Fall was bound to surprise viewers. The director won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and was hugely praised for the way in which she advanced the story in the legal thriller.

Still, with a range of bonafide commercial successes to compete against, not many would have considered Anatomy of a Fall to be involved in the Oscar nomination. That too, for the best director category.

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#3 Leonardo DiCaprio, Killers of the Flower Moon (Lead Actor)

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Midas touch has never been in question. It was apparent in the Killers of the Flower Moon as well, a gritty, almost confusing thriller helmed by none other than Martin Scorsese.

DiCaprio’s utterly impressive portrayal of Ernest Burkhart was expected to land him at least an Oscar nomination. However, despite over 300 nominations across the awards season thus far for the movie, as per IMDb, the actor was surprisingly snubbed.

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#4 Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction (Supporting Actor)

Simply because of the plethora of projects that came out and received success in the past year, not many were expecting American Fiction to do well. Sterling K. Brown was largely praised for his performance as a gritty cosmetic surgeon, and his name was nominated for the Supporting Actor category.

Of course, competing against Robert De Niro and Robert Downey Jr. for Oppenheimer, Ryan Gosling, and Mark Ruffalo is not going to be easy. The Emmy and Golden Globe winner might simply have to be content with his nomination, which proved to be a big surprise for fans.

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#5 Margot Robbie, Barbie (Lead Actress)

There is simply no doubt that Robbie was largely expected to be the frontrunner for the Lead Actress award this year. After all, Barbie remained the talk of the industry for months, and Margo Robbie was one of the biggest reasons why.

Her character not only exceeded expectations but also proved her versatility and ability to take over a movie. Robbie’s project may have won the epic box office battle with Oppenheimer, but it seemingly fell short with respect to the Oscar 2024 nominations.

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The 96th Academy Awards will air on Sunday, March 10, from the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood.