With the unveiling of the Academy’s shortlists, we now know the final 15 films in contention for Best Original Score. The only major snub to point out was Past Lives, which might suggest it’s not as strong a contender across the board. All the major contenders made it in and now it’s just a battle of who will win between Ludwig Göransson (Oppenheimer) and Robbie Robertson (Killers of the Flower Moon).
The Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards nominations really solidified that the top four contenders are Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, Poor Things, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The groups differed on their fifth spot, with the former going with The Zone of Interest and the latter choosing The Boy and the Heron.
That leaves the fifth slot open to many possibilities. The Academy hasn’t nominated two animated scores since Up and Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2009, so The Boy and the Heron faces a tougher challenge to sneak in. The Zone of Interest is firming as a major contender across the board, so that could help it nab that final spot here. But keep an eye on Society of the Snow. The film landed four mentions on the shortlists and we know how the Academy adores Michael Giacchino.
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE PREDICTIONS:
1. Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson (Universal Pictures) – CCA, GG, HMMA
2. Killers of the Flower Moon – Robbie Robertson (Paramount Pictures / Apple Original Films) – CCA, GG, HMMA
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Daniel Pemberton (Sony Pictures) – CCA, GG, HMMA
4. Poor Things – Jerkin Hendrix (Searchlight Pictures) – CCA, GG
5. The Zone of Interest – Mica Levi (A24) – GG, HMMA
IN CONTENTION
American Fiction – Laura Karpman (Amazon MGM Studios) – HMMA
American Symphony – Jon Baptiste (Netflix)
Barbie – Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt (Warner Bros.)
The Boy and the Heron – Joe Hisaishi (GKIDS) – GG
The Color Purple – Kris Bowers (Warner Bros.)
Elemental – Thomas Newman (Disney) – HMMA
The Holdovers – Mark Orton (Focus Features)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – John Williams (Walt Disney)
Saltburn – Anthony Willis (Amazon MGM Studios) – HMMA
The Society of the Snow – Michael Giacchino (Netflix) – CCA
