The chain reaction set off by the fusion of Barbie and Oppenheimer come to a head at the Oscars on Sunday.
Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan’s epic drama about the father of the atomic bomb, and half of last summer’s “Barbenheimer” phenomenon – is the overwhelming favourite to win best picture honours and much more on Hollywood’s biggest night.
The film won best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jnr and is tipped to take golden statuettes for best director, and technical prizes from cinematography and editing to sound and score.
It also has a strong chance at best actor for Cillian Murphy, who is locked in a tight race with Paul Giamatti of The Holdovers.
Among the early winners announced at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles was legendary Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, 83, whose latest anime feature The Boy and the Heron won best animated feature.
Elsewhere, the competition for best actress promises to be a nail biter.
Lily Gladstone in a scene from Killers of the Flower Moon. Photo: Apple TV+ via AP
Emma Stone, who previously won an Academy Award for La La Land, is considered one of the finest actresses of her generation. She gives a stunning, brave performance in Poor Things.
But Lily Gladstone of Killers of the Flower Moon has not just the clout of her director Martin Scorsese, but the weight of history behind her.
She is seeking to become the first Native American to win an acting Oscar.
And what about Barbie, released on the same weekend last summer as Oppenheimer, prompting a bizarre and highly meme-able double bill that collectively grossed US$2.4 billion worldwide?
The surreal feminist comedy is unlikely to leave the Oscars empty-handed.
A scene from Barbie with Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie. Photo: Warner Bros
As well as technical prizes like costume design, it boasts the two front runners for best song.
Both Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” and the movie’s show-stopping “I’m Just Ken” will be performed during the Oscars gala.
