Al Pacino explains controversial Best Picture slip-up at Oscars

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large That’s a wrap on Oscar season 2024 — but first, the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast‘s Roundtable dives in one last time to take a final look at the highs, lows and head scratchers from Sunday night’s ceremony. “Oppenheimer” did huge, but it didn’t quite sweep.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The curtains have closed on the Oscars, and as we peer over the horizon following a six-month Hollywood hiatus due to the union strikes, the initial trepidation over a sparse cinematic future will be sure to dissipate once you look at the road ahead. Contrary to fears, the film landscape appears not just replenished but vibrant, with several compelling titles that are already making waves. An annual tradition at Variety is to take a look ahead at what contenders could be brewing for next year’s Oscar season.

Variety Staff Follow Us on Twitter Within 24 hours of this year’s Academy Awards, total views on Variety social video covering the show hit 138 million, becoming the biggest day of Oscars social traffic in publication history. The previous record was held by coverage of the 2023 Oscars, which generated over 122 million views in just one day.

Al Pacino is doing a bit of damage control after botching his Oscars award presentation.

It wouldn’t be an Academy Award ceremony without some controversy. While Emma Stone’s (“Poor Things”) Best Actress win over Lily Gladstone (“Killers Of The Flower Moon”) caused a lot of drama over social media, one of the biggest blunders—or what some suspected to be one— was around the presentation of The Best Picture award.

coveted Best Picture award at the 2024 Oscars.The “Scarface” actor, who appeared during Sunday’s star-studded ceremony to present the top honor, went about his presenting duties in an unconventional manner.Instead of building the tension and suspense by naming each of the 10 nominees — as every other presenter before him has — the “Godfather” star just blurted out the winning motion picture, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.”But according to the actor, 83, the Academy had not asked him to name the other nominees up for the gong.“There seems to be some controversy about my not mentioning every film by name last night before announcing the best picture award,” Pacino told The Post in a statement.“I just want to be clear it was not my intention to omit them, rather a choice by the producers not to have them said again since they were highlighted individually throughout the ceremony. I was honored to be a part of the evening and chose to follow the way they wished for this award to be presented.”“I realize being nominated is a huge milestone in one’s life and to not be fully recognized is offensive and hurtful,” he went on.

Johnny Depp is celebrating Robert Downey Jr.‘s win at the 96th Oscars.

Al Pacino is speaking out about his unconventional Best Picture announcement at the 2024 Oscars.

presentation of the coveted Best Picture award while appearing on “Live with Kelly and Mark.” “I guess he’s never watched an awards show before,” Kimmel, 56, told Kelly Ripa, 53, and Mark Consuelos, 52, in a clip aired on Monday. “It seems like everyone in America knows the rhythm of how it’s supposed to go, down to ‘And the Oscar goes to…’ but, uh, not Al.”The “Scarface” actor — who was supposed to reunite with his co-star Michelle Pfeiffer until she dropped out last-minute — appeared during Sunday’s star-studded assembly to present the top honor … with his own twist. Instead of building the tension and suspense — as other presenters have before — by naming each of the 10 nominated films, the “Godfather” star just blurted out the victor.“This is the time for the last award of the evening, and it’s my honor to present it.

Al Pacino made a minor slip-up when announcing the winner of the Best Picture award at yesterday’s Oscars ceremony.The 96th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, took place yesterday (March 10) in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Award season favourite Oppenheimer took home seven of the thirteen awards for which it was nominated, including Best Director (Christopher Nolan) and Best Actor (Cillian Murphy).However, when it came to awarding the final prize of the evening, Pacino’s slightly unclear announcement led to a few moments of confusion in the Dolby Theatre.The Scarface star didn’t seem to follow the traditional process of reading out the full list of nominees before announcing the winner.

2024 Oscars when he skipped over announcing all 10 of the Best Picture nominees. Instead, he just quickly blurted out “Oppenheimer.”The Oscar winner, 83, was greeted by a standing ovation as he took to the stage at LA’s Dolby Theatre before he delivered the top award. However, instead of building the tension like several previous presenters and allowing all the films one last chance to be recognized, the “Godfather” actor trudged straight ahead by announcing the victor.

Oscars in total. It won the top prize for picture, as well as Christopher Nolan winning for director, Cillian Murphy for actor and Robert Downey Jr.

Oppenheimer producer Emma Thomas hit a few expected notes in her Best Picture acceptance speech Sunday night, thanking director Christopher Nolan and Universal Pictures.

“It’s very important to me, it’s really a wonderful finish to what’s been an incredible year,” Christopher Nolan told press backstage at the Academy Awards in the wake of winning both his Best Director Oscar for Oppenheimer, along with the biggest prize of the night: Best Picture.

2024 Oscars were hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on Sunday, March 10, airing on ABC (in the new earlier time slot of 7 p.m.). The Christopher Nolan flick starring Cillian Murphy was this year’s frontrunner, with a staggering 13 nominations — including for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for Murphy and Robert Downey Jr., respectively. The Best Actor race was a battle between Murphy, Bradley Cooper (“Maestro”), Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”), Colman Domingo (“Rustin”) and Jeffrey Wright (“American Fiction”).Murphy took home the expected win, and Nolan and Downey Jr.

The cast and crew of Oppenheimer has a lot to celebrate after the 2024 Academy Awards on Sunday (March 10).

Cillian Murphy has just won his first Oscar, as Best Actor for his riveting turn in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. After five collaborations with Nolan, this was Murphy’s first time in a lead role in one of the director’s films — and nabbed him his first-ever Oscar nomination, and the first win in the category for an Irish-born actor. In a shoutout to his homeland from the Dolby stage, Murphy said, “I’m a very proud Irishman standing here tonight.” 

Oppenheimer capped a big night at the 96th Academy Awards with a Best Picture win.

“Barbenheimer” is officially over. While Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” may have outdueled its release date mate by a little under $500 million at the worldwide box office, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” has taken the most coveted award of them all, the Oscar for Best Picture.

Don’t call it a career win because few would argue that Robert Downey, Jr. didn’t deliver one of his best performances ever as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” That immense talent was rewarded with his first Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category at the 96th Academy Awards.