‘Barbie’ topped Golden Globe nominations, ahead of ‘Oppenheimer’

Golden Globe statues are displayed, before the announcement of nominations for the 81st Golden Globe awards, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., December 11, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Blake

Summer blockbuster “Barbie” topped the list of nominees for Hollywood’s Golden Globe awards on Monday with nine nods, outpacing the eight for historical film drama “Oppenheimer.”

Pink-fueled doll adventure “Barbie” will compete for best comedy or musical film alongside “American Fiction,” “The Holdovers” and others at a red-carpet ceremony in January that will kick off the Hollywood awards season.

“Oppenheimer,” starring Cillian Murphy as the man behind the creation of the atomic bomb, will face off with “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro” and others for best film drama.

Martin Scorsese’s “Flower Moon” tells the story of the murder of American Indians in Oklahoma in the 1920s. Bradley Cooper plays composer Leonard Bernstein in “Maestro” and also directed the film.

Cast members Trond Fausa Aurvag, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Jason Clarke, and Director Christopher Nolan pose during a photocall before the premiere of the film “Oppenheimer” at the Grand Rex in Paris, France, July 11, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo

The Globes are one of the key contests that can provide a boost to movies on the road to the Academy Awards in March.

In television categories, cutthroat family drama “Succession” led all series with nine Golden Globe nominations.

This year, Globe winners will be chosen by a new organization. The nonprofit Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of journalists that was criticized for ethical lapses and a lack of diversity, was disbanded in June.

New Globe owners Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions are operating the awards as a for-profit venture. The voting body now consists of 300 journalist members from 75 countries with 60% racial and ethnic diversity, organizers said.

Winners of the Golden Globe will be announced on Jan. 7 at a ceremony broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.