Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey, Jr. all win first Oscars
LOS ANGELES -- All eyes were on "Oppenheimer" directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt at the Oscars on Sunday. The film dominated throughout awards season.
Now it's been named Best Picture at the 2024 Academy Awards.
"Oppenheimer" won seven Oscars Sunday night, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. It also won for Best Film Editing and Best Cinematography. Ludwig Göransson also took home the Oscar for Best Original Score.
It was the first Oscar win for Murphy, Downey and Nolan.
The film earned a leading 13 nominations and has earned nearly $1 billion worldwide.
Christopher Nolan fulfilled his award show frontrunner status, winning his first Oscar on Sunday night for directing "Oppenheimer."
The 53-year-old British visionary has garnered critical acclaim throughout his career, but had never won an Oscar until now. He was nominated for directing "Dunkirk" in 2017 and for original screenplay in 2010 for "Inception" and in 2001 for "Memento."
At the podium, Nolan noted that movies are just a little bit over 100 years old and thanked the Academy for the honor. "We don't know where this incredible journey is going from here," Nolan said. "But to know that you think I am a meaningful part of it means the world to me."
Nolan beat out Jonathan Glazer of "The Zone of Interest," Yorgos Lanthimos of "Poor Things," Martin Scorsese of "Killers of the Flower Moon," and Justine Triet of "Anatomy of a Fall."At 81, Scorsese was the oldest directing nominee.
Nolan was cheered on by his wife, Emma Thomas, who twice shared best picture nominations with her husband for producing "Dunkirk" and "Inception." The college sweethearts have been producing partners on all of his films since 1997.
Irish actor Cillian Murphy, who has collaborated with Christopher Nolan six times going back almost two decades, has won his very first Oscar.
READ MORE: Who was the real Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy?
His nomination for Best Actor for playing J. Robert Oppenheimer in the eponymous biopic was also his first ever Oscar nomination.
He seemed delighted and slightly overwhelmed by the win as he thanked his co-stars, his family and dedicated his award to "all the peacemakers."
Murphy bested Colman Domingo for "Rustin," Bradley Cooper for "Maestro," Paul Giamatti for "The Holdovers," and Jeffrey Wright for "American Fiction."
Robert Downey, Jr. took home the prize for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, for his portrayal of Lewis Strauss.
READ MORE: Robert Downey Jr. wins his first-ever Academy Award for best supporting actor
Speaking with ABC Audio ahead of the film's premiere, Murphy said "Oppenheimer" is "not your conventional biopic."
"It does make you think," he said. "And people can choose to think about the nuclear age that we live in, or they could choose not to. And I think this film might affect that choice."
Recently, "Oppenheimer" won best picture at the 35th Producers Guild of America Awards, another award for the blockbuster film this award season.
Both Cillian Murphy (male actor in a leading role) and Robert Downey Jr. (male actor in a supporting role) won at the SAG Awards, where "Oppenheimer" also won best ensemble, part of an awards season sweep that also included wins at the Golden Globes and Directors Guild Awards.
Murphy also won a Golden Globe for best performance by a male actor in a motion picture (drama) and the best actor in a leading role trophy the 2024 BAFTAs.
Here is every Oscar nomination for "Oppenheimer."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.