Each year, there seems to be a new controversy surrounding the Academy Awards, in terms of what is and isn’t considered awards-worthy by Hollywood’s elite. Barbie, the highest grossing film of 2023, was nominated for Best Picture this year, but many criticised the fact that there was no Best Director nod for Greta Gerwig or Best Actress nomination for Margot Robbie. And so, while it had been acknowledged, it appeared that the most financially successful film of the last year was not viewed in the same terms as Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s historical drama with which it has been inextricably linked through the Barbenheimer trend. Popularity doesn’t pay when it comes to the Oscars, and so it is time to resume the call for an award that celebrates the films that people queue up to see.
