2024 Oscars Predictions

By: Rose Caisley '26

Photo Courtesy of US Weekly

Welcome one and welcome all to Hollywood’s most exciting night. Last year marked a historic year for the Oscars, Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian actress to win the award for Best Actress (only the second woman of color), and Ruth E. Carter became the first African American winner to win two Oscars, to name a couple of the barriers broken. But the competition has only grown fiercer since and if you are still unsure of who to put down for your 2024 Oscars prediction, don't worry, we here at the Dog Street Journal have you covered. Using a combination of past Oscars trends, industry buzz, and previous awards received, here are our predictions on who will win the big prizes on March 10th. 

Best Picture: Oppenheimer  

Much like Everything Everywhere All At Once (EEAAO) last year, Oppenheimer is posed to sweep the night's most prestigious awards. As a part of the "Barbenheimer" craze, Oppenheimer generated both glowing reviews and box office success and for that reason, we predict the Academy Awards Ceremony will end with this movie taking home its most coveted award.  

Best Director: Christopher Nolan 

After having made classic movies for both casual moviegoers and hardened cinephiles, it is incredible that Christopher Nolan has never won a Best Directing Oscar, however, Nolan has taken home the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), Golden Globe, and most critically the Director's Guild Award for his take on the father of the atomic bomb. 

Best Actor: Cillian Murphy  

While at the outset, Hollywood veteran Paul Giamatti was the favored to win this category, Cillian Murphy has taken home a Golden Globe, BAFTA, and SAG (Screen Actors Guild) Award for his performance as the title role in Oppenheimer easily eclipsing Giamatti's early lead. However, the Academy is quite fickle, so an upset at the last minute is never out of the question.  

Best Actress: Lily Gladstone 

Of all the races this year, Best Actress is by far the closest. Between Lily Gladstone, who won the SAG, and Emma Stone who won the BAFTA (they both won Golden Globes), there is no clear front-runner for this award. But given Stone's previous win for La La Land, it seems likely that the Academy might be eager to give the award to someone new, and to show its progress since Sacheen Littlefeather rejected Marlon Brando's award for The Godfather. Although Littlefeather's claims of Indigenous heritage have been contested in the last few years, this could still be seen as a chance for the Academy to make things right and Gladstone's fantastic performance makes her more than worthy to take home the statue for best supporting actress. 

Photo Courtesy of IMDB

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr. 

In another obvious comparison, much like EEAAO's Ke Huy Quan, this award is almost certainly going to Oppenheimer's Robert Downey Jr. for his role as the cunning Lewis Strauss.  

Best Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph 

This veteran of both stage and screen is up for her very first Oscar and a well-deserved one at that. As with Best Supporting Actor, this award is all but decided as Da'Vine took home the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and SAG Awards for this category. 

Best Original Screenplay: Anatomy of a Fall 

This French film might not take any home any other awards, but it's one sure shot of nabbing a golden statue is in this category, for which it has won the BAFTA and Golden Globe.  

Best Adapted Screenplay: American Fiction 

While there are very few corresponding awards to the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar (The Writer's Guild Awards take place after the Academy of Awards), American Fiction is poised to nab this prestigious statute, but unfortunately, nothing else.  

Photo Courtesy of IMDB

Best Animated Feature: The Boy and the Heron 

This is the riskiest choice on our prediction list. The Boy and the Heron is animation legend Hayao Miyazaki's last feature film, and it seems fitting for the Academy to bestow him with one last award for Best Animated Feature. However, don't count out Spider-man: Across the Spiderverse, there is always a chance the masked swinger nabs the statue.  

Best International Feature: The Zone of Interest  

This British film has made huge waves for its brutal depiction of the man in charge of Auschwitz and is the likeliest to take home the Oscar for Best International Feature.  

Best Original Song: "What Was I Made For?" from Barbie, music and lyrics by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell 

In addition to winning the Golden Globe for Best Original Song, this heartbreaking ballad by Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O'Connell also won the Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media. It looks like Billie is well on her way to winning her second Oscar.  

Those are our predictions for the big marquee awards. The following are our predictions for all the technical awards.  

Best Film Editing: Oppenheimer 

Best Costume Design: Barbie 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Maestro  Best Production Design: Barbie 

Best Cinematography: Oppenheimer 

Best Sound: Oppenheimer 

Best Visual Effects: Godzilla Minus One 

Best Original Score: Oppenheimer 

We wish you luck on your own Oscar predictions and hope our list comes in handy when you’re deciding who you think will win which award.