The 2024 Oscar Nominations’ Biggest Surprises and Snubs

Barbie was/is a cinematic phenomenon. It was good enough to earn eight nominations, including one for Best Picture. But somehow widespread critical and fan acclaim alike, along with a theater-rejuvenating box office bonanza, wasn’t enough to earn individual nominations for the two main women behind it. Director Greta Gerwig missed out on a Best Director nomination. Maybe even more shocking was that Margot Robbie was also left out of the Best Actress race, even though her co-stars America Ferrara and Ryan Gosling both got supporting noms. (Yes, Ken got nominated but Barbie didn’t. The jokes write themselves.)

Some thought Gerwig might miss the cut, but few predicted the same fate for Robbie. Despite their snubs in those categories, though, each could still take gold home at the 2024 Academy Awards. Gerwig and her husband Noah Baumbach are nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. Meanwhile Robbie is up for Best Picture as a producer on the film.

Most Disappointing Snubs – Past Lives‘ Greta Lee and Teo Yoo for Acting and Celine Song for Director

One of 2023’s most beautiful and moving movies rightfully earned a spot in the Best Picture race. Unfortunately Past Lives missed out in three other major categories. The film’s outstanding stars Greta Lee and Teo Yoo both got left out in the acting categories. Just as disappointing is that Celine Song also missed out for Best Director.

Song did at least garner a second nomination for the film with a spot in the competition for Best Original Screenplay.

Most Overlooked Performances – May December‘s Charles Melton for Ferrari‘s Penélope Cruz 

Based on predictive models and betting markets it would have technically been a surprise if May December stars Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore jumped into their respective acting categories. But it’s stunning co-star Charles Melton didn’t make the cut. He gave one of the year’s best performances as Joe Yoo, a married man who first started dating his wife when he was just a kid. The same is true of Penélope Cruz, who was incredible as a grieving mother and estranged wife/business partner in Michael Mann‘s Ferrari. The film features one of Cruz’s best career performances.

Instead of recognizing Melton’s work, the Academy bestowed a single nomination on May December for Best Original Screenplay. That was better than Ferrari did. It came up empty, even in the technical categories where it easily could have earned multiple nominations.

Most Surprising Oscar Omission – Killers of the Flower Moon for Adapted Screenplay

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences obviously liked Killers of the Flower Moon as much as we did. The film took home ten nominations, the third most. That included recognition in major categories like Best Picture, Best Director, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Cinematography. Yet, despite all the recognition, somehow Martin Scorsese’s film—based on David Grann’s award-winning nonfiction book of the same name—missed out in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.

If Killers of the Flower Moon had a disappointing nominating morning this omission wouldn’t seem as weird. But with all the nods it did get this one really stands as a surprising snub.

Biggest Animated Snubs – Suzume and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

The Best Animated Feature Film category features some films we fully expected to see nominated, including The Boy and the Heron, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, and Elemental. We just also expected/hoped two of our favorite animated movies from last year, Suzume and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, would be joining them.

Instead the final two spots went to Nimona and Robot Dreams, both worthy nominees themselves that serve as a reminder that with only five nominations available in most categories really good movies miss out for no other reason than other good movies beat them out.

Best Movie Completely Snubbed – All of Us Strangers

Director Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers stands as one of 2023’s most well-received films. Both critics and moviegoers alike fell in love with the story about grief and love starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal. That wasn’t enough to get it a single Oscar nomination, not even for Best Adapted Screenplay despite the film being based on Taichi Yamada’s 1987 novel Strangers.

All of us Strangers will be a stranger at the 96th Academy Awards. But the film and those who love it shouldn’t take it personally. The list of biggest 2024 Oscar snubs is an impressive list itself.