‘Barbie’ saved the box office, but ‘Oppenheimer’ is the movie awards voters have been waiting for

“Barbie” might have saved the summer box office, but as the lengthy build-up to the Oscars nears its end, “Oppenheimer” was clearly the movie that award voters have been waiting for.

“Barbie” might have saved the summer box office, but as the lengthy build-up to the Oscars nears its end, “Oppenheimer” is clearly the movie that award voters have been waiting for. Director Christopher Nolan’s historical epic about the father of the atomic bomb added awards from the Screen Actors Guild and the Producers Guild of America over the weekend – the latter having emerged as one of the most reliable bellwethers for the Academy Awards, aligning with the best-picture winner 11 of the last 14 years. Throw in the film’s 13 Academy Award nominations and previous wins at the Golden Globes, Directors Guild of America, the BAFTAs and the Critics Choice Awards, and while there could always be some stunning surprise, to all appearances the Oscar race is likely over except for the acceptance speeches thanking the Academy and Universal Pictures. In hindsight, the golden hardware showered on “Oppenheimer” should have been predictable, given all the boxes that the film checks. Near the top of that list, despite trailing “Barbie” in revenues the film still grossed nearly $1 billion worldwide, providing award voters with a rare mix of prestige – a star-studded cast, a long-admired director and weighty material – and the kind of commercial success that actually might help attract TV viewers. For years, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has wrestled with the disconnect between those two attributes, even toying with the idea (before rejection by its board) of establishing a “popular film” category to bring blockbuster-type movies into the broadcast. The Golden Globes, less fettered by the politics surrounding that, notably introduced just such a category this year (and naturally gave the honor to “Barbie”). The Academy and host network ABC have long hoped to include more movies with similar box-office clout, fondly remembering that the highest-rated Oscars ever came in 1998, when “Titanic” sailed away with best picture after a then-record haul of ticket sales.