Oscars 2024: How to watch and what to watch out for

“Oppenheimer” dominance, Ken’s final stand and host of acting legends storming the stage are all on the cards for Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony.

America’s most glamorous election contest is finally drawing to a close. Yes, it’s Oscars weekend. Only marginally shorter than its political counterparts (and with no less lobbying), the road to the 96th Oscars ceremony is likely leading toward what industry and casual viewers have all been betting on: a wildly popular box office hit on the cusp of cleaning up, with “Oppenheimer” in pole position to claim best picture and a host of other categories. Comparisons are already being made to 1998 and 2004, when “Titanic” and “The Return of the King” steamrolled their respective competition on their way to a record 11 Oscars each. Despite its 13 nominations, Christopher Nolan’s epic take on the life and times of the father of the atomic bomb is unlikely to dominate to quite that degree, but since when did Hollywood (or industry press) let the truth get in the way of a good story? We’ll find out exactly how well “Oppenheimer” and co. do on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST, when the ceremony kicks off on ABC in the US (for international listings, see here). The telecast will also be available to stream on abc.com and the ABC app. It will be available through subscription on Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV as well. A stellar year for cinema should give the ceremony no shortage of films to celebrate, and ABC will be hoping ratings continue to rise after a better 2023, following a historic low in 2022. Jimmy Kimmel returns to host for the fourth time, and A-list presenters will include Steven Spielberg, Sally Field, Jennifer Lawrence, Dwayne Johnson, Rita Moreno, Al Pacino, Zendaya and Michelle Pfeiffer. And in a flourish not seen since the 2009 ceremony, five previous winners will reportedly take to the stage to present acting categories.