‘Oppenheimer’ starts Oscars march with five Golden Globe awards
‘Oppenheimer,’ the biographical movie about the inventor of the atomic bomb, was crowned best dramatic film at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday night, setting up what looks to be a suc-cessful run for the picture on the Hollywood awards circuit.
The Universal Pictures film took home five awards in all, including best director for Christopher Nolan, dramatic actor for Cillian Murphy and supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr. Lily Gladstone won the best dramatic actress award for Apple Inc.’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon.’
‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘Barbie,’ from Warner Bros., led among films with the most nominations going into the ceremony. ‘Barbie’ took home the top prize in a new category designed to recognize popular films, but lost the race for best comedy picture to ‘Poor Things,’ a fantasy from Walt Disney Co.’s Searchlight division.
Emma Stone won best comedic actress for her work in ‘Poor Things.’
‘Succession,’ the HBO show about the battle to lead a family-run media empire, won best dramatic TV series, picking up four awards in all. ‘The Bear,’ a series about a Chicago restaurant from Disney’s FX unit, won best TV comedy.
The Globes are one of the first events on the awards circuit, which will culminate with the Oscars on March 10. Studios campaign vigorously to win the trophies, which can lead to a bump in ticket sales and online purchases of their films, and score points with talent. Oscar nominations will be announced on January 23.
This year’s Globes are the first under new owners. Financier Todd Boehly and Hollywood trade publisher Jay Penske took control of the program last year after a scandal involving its previous owner, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
The association was criticized for its lack of diversity and ethical lapses. The voting body has since been expanded to 300 entertainment journalists, whose names and photos are published on the Globes’ website. Gifts to members have been banned.
The Globes ceremony, the 81st in its history, was hosted by comedian Jo Koy. It aired on CBS after a long run on NBC ended.
‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ were released on the same weekend in July, an event dubbed “Barbenheimer” on social media, and that led some moviegoers to see both pictures on the same day. ‘Barbie’ was the top film release last year with $1.44 billion in global ticket sales, while ‘Oppenheimer’ finished third.
