Wins for “Oppenheimer,” reside musical performances from “Barbie” and an (nearly) bare John Cena helped raise Oscars rankings for a 3rd consecutive 12 months, early viewing figures confirmed Monday, as 19.5 million tuned in to observe Hollywood’s massive night time.
Broadcaster ABC’s determine for Sunday night time’s well-reviewed gala was practically double the pandemic-era rankings nadir of 10.4 million, although nonetheless traditionally low for a telecast that frequently topped 40 million only a decade in the past.
Christopher Nolan’s atomic bomb drama “Oppenheimer” ended the 96th Academy Awards with seven prizes, together with finest image, finest director and finest actor for Cillian Murphy, whereas “Poor Issues” earned 4 as its star Emma Stone prevailed in a tense finest actress race.Highlights of the night time included Ryan Gosling‘s reside efficiency of “Barbie” ballad “I am Simply Ken,” one other achieved internet hosting stint by Jimmy Kimmel, and wrestler/actor Cena’s mock-reluctant presentation of one of the best costume design prize whereas sporting solely his birthday swimsuit.
Different standout musical performances got here from Billie Eilish — the 22-year-old grew to become the youngest individual ever to win two Oscars, after amassing finest music for one more “Barbie” tune in “What Was I Made For?” — and Native American musicians featured in “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
The upward rankings development is a welcome shot within the arm for reside award exhibits, which have been shedding viewers extra broadly as they compete for eyeballs with streamers and social media spotlight clips.

This 12 months’s Oscars benefited from having two giant-grossing smash hits — “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie,” the so-called “Barbenheimer” phenomenon — within the combine for a number of awards.
However the present itself additionally obtained plaudits, with the Los Angeles Occasions praising a “rowdy, raucous Oscars” that managed to combine humor and a poignant celebration of film historical past — with a number of political zingers thrown in for good measure.
Among the many thousands and thousands who tuned in to Sunday night time’s telecast was Donald Trump. The previous US president, dealing with a number of legal indictments, posted a scathing assessment on social media, which Kimmel learn out on stage towards the tip of the present.

“Thanks President Trump. Thanks for watching, I am shocked you are still up — is not it previous your jail time?” Kimmel joked, prompting raucous cheers and laughs from the viewers.
There have been additionally heartfelt references to Hollywood’s latest union strikes, the Gaza battle, and the battle in Ukraine.
The night time ended on a weird and complicated word, when Al Pacino revealed one of the best image winner with out first itemizing the nominees, as is customary.
Opening the envelope, he mumbled “my eyes see ‘Oppenheimer?'” leaving the viewers momentarily confused as as to if the movie had really gained.

On Monday, Pacino launched a press release saying the choice to maintain the night time’s largest announcement temporary by not naming the opposite nominated movies was taken by the present’s producers.
However on a largely clean night time, Selection singled out Gosling’s musical efficiency as a “maximalist, infectiously goofy singalong.”
The group-pleasing karaoke second was “the perfect technique to channel the feel-good vitality of an Oscars the place not one of the bonhomie felt compelled, because it usually can,” mentioned the movie trade web site.