Dig out your best tuxedo, or don your finest gown – it’s Oscars night! The 2024 Academy Awards are about to get underway, bringing the best of Hollywood together to celebrate cinema, and hand out all kinds of shiny gold statues in the process. As ever, it’s going to be a long haul and a late night, but Team Empire is here to follow with you every step of the way with our live blog, covering every single award, every single winner, and every single unmissable moment. There will be songs, there will be speeches, there will be snubs – though, there probably won’t be another slap.
Read below for the latest updates, be sure to stock up on caffeine and snacks, and we’ll be with you to the end of the line.
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2.30am That’s it! Thanks for following along with us. A strong Oscars year in all, with worthy winners, excellent speeches, incredible performances (we’re still not over ‘I’m Just Ken’), and the unforgettable sight of John Cena entirely nude. We’re off to bed – until next year!
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02.21am And the winner is… Oppenheimer. It’s a chaotic announcement from Pacino. “And my eyes see Oppenheimer,” he squints as he wrestles the envelope open. There’s a briefly delayed reaction as the crowd works out who’s won. It’s officially Oppy for the win. “I think any of us who makes movies know you dream of this moment,” says Emma Thomas. “I could deny it, but I have been dreaming of this moment for so long.” She hails her director and husband: “The reason this movie was the movie it was, was Chris Nolan. He is singular, he is brilliant, and I’m so grateful for you.” She also thanks IMAX, “for believing in this movie when it maybe didn’t make much sense to do so.”
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02.19am OK, final award of the night… and Best Picture will be presented by the one and only Al Pacino, in honour of 50 years of The Godfather Part II.
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02.14am And the winner of Leading Actress is… Emma Stone, who looks completely surprised. She’s evidently emotional walking up to the stage. “My dress is broken!” she says, joking: “I think it happened in ‘I’m Just Ken’.” She shares the award with “the women in this category”, hailing her fellow nominees. “It’s not about me,” she says of winning for Poor Things. “It’s about a team that came together to make something greater than the sum of its parts. That’s the best part of making movies.” Bella Baxter, she says, was “the gift of a lifetime”.
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02.09am The penultimate award of the night is Actress In A Leading Role. And we have another set of former winners to present. Enter Michelle Yeoh, Sally Field, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron and Jessica Lange, each delivering lovely speeches to Sandra Hüller, Emma Stone, Lily Gladstone, Annette Bening and Carey Mulligan.
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02.03am No slowing down: Steven Spielberg is already on stage, to present the award for Directing. And he hands it to Christopher Nolan – this is absolutely Oppenheimer’s year.
In his speech, he gives special thanks to Emma Thomas, “producer of all our films, and all our children. I love you.” As he points out: “Movies are just over 100 years old. Imagine being 100 years into painting,” he says. “We don’t know where this incredible journey is going from here.”
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2.01am And the award for Leading Actor goes to…Cillian Murphy for Oppenheimer. “I’m a little overwhelmed,” he admits. “I’m a very proud Irish man standing here tonight.” He closes his speech by saying: “We made a film bout the man who created the atomic bomb. For better or worse, we’re all living in Oppenheimer’s world. I’d like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere.”
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01.50am This year’s In Memoriam segment pays tribute to the likes of Alan Arkin, Michael Gambon, Andre Braugher, Matthew Perry, Lee Sun-Kyun, Carl Weathers, William Friedkin, Glenda Jackson, Tina Turner, Tom Wilkinson, Jane Birkin, Robbie Robertson, Richard Roundtree, and many more.
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01.42am Straight into Original Song – and it’s a Barbie win. Not for ‘I’m Just Ken’, but for Billie Eilish and Finneas’ ‘What Was I Made For?’ “I had a nightmare about this last night,” jokes Eilish. “I just didn’t think this would happen, I was not expecting this.” She also thanks Greta Gerwig (“I love you!”), and “everyone who was affected by the movie and how incredible it is.”
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01.39am Is everyone OK after that performance? We’re absolutely not. But the show goes on – and Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are on stage in full-on Elphaba and Glinda get-up ahead of Wicked. They present the Original Score Oscar to… Ludwig Goransson, for Oppenheimer!
“Thank you for giving me guitars and drums instead of video games,” he tells his parents in the crowd.”
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01.30am This is not a drill! It’s ‘I’m Just Ken’ time! Ryan Gosling, clad in a sparkly pink suit, starts from the audience, with Billie Eilish cracking up behind his shoulder.
Sims Liu is on stage! Kingley Ben-Adir is here! And Ncuti! The Kens unite!
There’s a whole different dance break involving giant cut-out Barbie heads… and Slash is on stage to bust out a guitar solo.
The is the Ken-est thing that ever happened. It is joyful. Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie sing into the mic for, “I am Ken and I’m enough / And I’m great at doing stuff.” Gosling nails every single note.
That was outstanding. The Kenergy is off the charts. A perfect moment! Gerwig looks completely overwhelmed.
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01.17am The award for Live Action Short Film goes to Wes Anderson’s The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar. But Wes isn’t here tonight for the ceremony, so the trophy will be heading his way in the post. Cut immediately to a performance of ‘The Fire Inside’ by Diane Warren – from Flamin’ Hot, the Cheetos movie. The Oscars, ladies and gentlemen!
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01.14am Time for Cinematography, presented by Zendaya. And she hands the gong to Hoyte Van Hoytema for Oppenheimer! That’s the third prize of the night for Nolan’s film. “Oh, silly!” he says, shaking his head as he steps on stage. “To all the aspiring filmmakers out there, I’d say, ‘Try shooting on that incredible new hip thing called celluloid.’ It’s easier than you think, and it makes everything look so much better.”
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01.07am Next up, Documentary Short Film goes to The Last Repair Shop. And Documentary Feature goes to 20 Days In Mariupol. “This is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history,” says its director Mstyslav Chernov in a powerful speech. “But probably I’ll be the first director on this stage who will say, I wish I never made this film. I wish I could exchange this for Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities.”
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00.56am A performance now from Jon Batiste, of ‘It Never Went Away’ – from his film American Symphony. We’re building up to ‘I’m Just Ken’…
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00.53am Next up, Jennifer Lame bags Film Editing for Oppenheimer – the film’s second award of the night. “I looked forward to going to work with you every day,” she tells Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas.
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00.48am And the winner for Visual Effects is: Godzilla Minus One! Director, writer and VFX supervisor Takashi Yamazaki is on stage to accept – and he’s brought his own golden Godzilla up with him. Which he’s had to put down to actually hold his trophy. “This is proof that everyone has a chance,” he says.
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00.46am Hold the phone: it’s a Twins reunion! Arnie and Danny DeVito are on stage together to present Visual Effects. The real reason they’re paired, though? “We both tried to kill Batman.” Now, they’re beefing with Michael Keaton in the crowd. It is incredible.
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00.39am And, as expected, the Oscar goes to Robert Downey Jr. That’s Oppenheimer’s first win of the night, and a long time coming for the actor. “I’d like to thank my terrible childhood, and the Academy. In that order,” he deadpans. “I’d like to thank my veterinarian. I mean, wife – Susan Downey. She found me a snarling rescue pet, and loved me back to life.” And he pays tribute to what the role has meant to him. “I needed this job, more than it needed me. Chris knew it,” he says of his director. “I stand here before you a better man because of it.”
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00.34am It’s time for Supporting Actor. Ke Huy Quan, Sam Rockwell, Tim Robbins, Christoph Waltz, and Mahershala Ali are here, each paying tribute to nominees Sterling K. Brown, Robert Downey Jr., Robert De Niro, Ryan Gosling, and Mark Ruffalo, respectively…
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00.25am Now Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are on stage, bickering about who won in the ‘Barbenheimer’ race. “You were riding Barbie’s coattails all summer,” says Gosling, noting that it was ‘Barbenheimer’, not ‘Oppenbarbie’. Blunt is unimpressed: “Thanks for Ken-splaining that to me.” They’re not here to present an award – instead, as the stars of upcoming stunt-filled blockbuster The Fall Guy, they’re presenting a celebration of stunts in films. “We salute you,” they say to stunt workers. Expect the campaign for a stunt category in the Oscars to continue rumbling on…
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00.23am International Feature Film time – and it goes to The Zone Of Interest. From… the UK? Never heard of it. Jonathan Glazer is up to accept, and he speaks to the situation currently playing out in Gaza. “Our film shows where dehumanisation leads at its worst,” he says, as Sandra Hüller tears up in the crowd.
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00.20am Another music performance now – there’s an entire drum circle on stage for a spine-tingling rendition of Scott George’s ‘Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)’, from Killers Of The Flower Moon. The staging, the vocals, the drumming – all incredibly powerful.
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00.12am First things first, following the nominee read-outs for Costume Design, Cena has now been draped in a curtain. Incredible scenes. Secondly, it’s a third win for Poor Things. Is this the beginnings of a sweep for Yorgos Lanthimos’ film?
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00.10am Ok, Kimmel is doing a comedy bit involving a possible streaker. And wait… is the possible streaker… John Cena? “The male body is not a joke!” Cena says. “Dude, I don’t wrestle naked. I wrestle in jorts!” Wait.. he’s shimmying on stage. And he seems to be… actually naked? To present the Costume Design award, no less! The crowd is cracking up, but evidently stunned.
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00.08am Wait – make that two Oscars for Poor Things. It bags Production Design too, making it the biggest success of the night so far.
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00.05am And that’s the first win of the night for Poor Things, for those long flowing Bella Baxter locks, and Willem Dafoe’s skin-flapping face.
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00.04am Michael Keaton and Catherine O’Hara are on stage to present Makeup And Hairstyling. And they come on stage to the Beetlejuice music!
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11.55pm Tissues out, everyone. The first music performance of the night is here, and it’s Billie Eilish and Finneas with a super stripped-back rendition of Barbie ballad ‘What Was I Made For?’ It’s a gorgeous song, gorgeously performed – a suite of lush strings kicking in for the second verse. Stunning.
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11.50pm And we’re straight into Adapted Screenplay. American Fiction bags it, edging ahead of Oppenheimer and Barbie. Cord Jefferson steps up to accept for his feature debut. “This means the world to me,” he says, noting again how many people passed on the film. “There are so many people out there that want the opportunity that I was given.” He adds a suggestion: “Instead of one $200 million movie, try making 20 $10 million movies.”
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11.46pm It’s time for Original Screenplay. And the Oscar goes to… Anatomy Of A Fall. They’re playing the steel pan version of ‘P.I.M.P’ as Justine Triet and Arthur Harari go up to the stage! “It will help me through my mid-life crisis, I think,” says Trier, as she holds her trophy. "You killed the script on set," she tells her actors.
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11.38pm And now it’s Animated Feature. The winner is… The Boy And The Heron! Ghibli fans will be ecstatic – but Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki aren’t in town to pick up the award, so presenters Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy take the award off stage for now. Couldn’t we have got Robert Pattinson giving a speech in his heron voice?
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11.37pm Second up, it’s Animated Short. And the award goes to… War Is Over! Inspired By The Music Of John & Yoko. Among those heading to the stage is Sean Ono Lennon, the couple’s son. And there's an additional thanks in the speech for Peter Jackson for his help in making the film happen. Sean leads a call of, "Happy Mother's Day, Yoko!"
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11.26pm And the Oscar for Supporting Actress goes to… Da’Vine Joy Randolph! She’s already crying as she steps up to accept – and delivers a powerful speech. “I didn’t think I was supposed to be doing this as a career,” she says. “I started off as a singer, and my mother said to me, ‘Go across that street to that theatre department. There’s something for you there.’” Paul Giamatti is tearing up in the audience. “For so long, I’ve always wanted to be different,” she says. “And now I realised, I just need to be myself.”
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11.25pm This is really touching – the first award of the night is Supporting Actress, and five previous winners have come on stage to each pay tribute to one of the nominees. That’s Regina King, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lupita Nyong’o, Mary Steenburgen, and Rita Morino. Their tributes are really heartfelt – and best of all, Rita Moreno is the one hyping up America Ferrera. "Ameeeerica!" she says, in her best West Side Story delivery.
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11.18pm Kimmel is discussing this year’s strikes on stage, shouting out Steven Spielberg for his contributions to the funds that helped demonstrating professionals make it through last summer. He’s leading a big round of applause for the behind-the-scenes crew members, who are now flooding onto the stage to a standing ovation. “I’m gonna make sure the show goes really long tonight, so you all get overtime,” he says.
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11.07pm And we’re off! Jimmy Kimmel has superimposed himself into the bus stop scene from Barbie.
Now he’s on stage, to the strains of ‘Dance The Night’. And, within two minutes, we have our first Madame Web joke in the monologue. It’s a largely warm set of opening gags, and they’re mostly landing – though, it’s tough to tell whether Robert Downey Jr. was actually laughing off those drug jokes…
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11.05pm Ah, wait, no. The ceremony has been delayed by a few minutes due to protest action. Stay tuned to see if any of that follows through to the main event.
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10.59pm Okay, this is it! The ceremony is about to begin. In your seats, people!
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10.55pm Some final few arrivals – Lily Gladstone is here, and could take Leading Actress for Killers Of The Flower Moon…
…and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who’s here for The Holdovers and might bag Supporting Actress.
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10.42pm He's just Ken – and he's obviously a 10 on the red carpet. Ryan Gosling is here, presumably having already warmed his vocal cords up for the 'I'm Just Ken' performance.
Oh, and here’s Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, fresh from Barbieland.
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10.31pm HOLD THE PRESS! The Godzilla Minus One team has arrived – with not one, not two, but four little Godzillas. And look, the gold one has a little bow tie! The red carpet has officially been won.
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10.28pm Christopher Nolan has arrived – and it could be a very good night for him. Does Oscar gold galore await for Oppenheimer?
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10.14pm Bella Baxter alert! Emma Stone has arrived – will she win her second Oscar tonight for Poor Things, having bagged one for La La Land many moons ago?
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10.04pm We have some arrivals! From the Barbie contingent, we have Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas – set to perform their ‘What Was I Made For?’ on the stage later – and Supporting Actress nominee America Ferrera.
And here’s the joybomb that is Ke Huy Quan, turning up after his victory last year for Everything Everywhere to hand out an award later this evening. Spec game is very strong.
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9.52pm Here we go! It’s Oscars night again, and the red carpet is well underway. The ceremony is still a couple of hours away yet, expected to kick off at midnight, UK time. Once it begins, we’ll be awaiting not just the winner of the big awards – but Ryan Gosling’s much-rumoured performance of ‘I’m Just Ken’. In the meantime, this is the time to have a coffee, open that bag of Mini Eggs, and prepare for the long haul. More carpet updates shortly!