If the Oscars are a snapshot of the film industry, then 2024—a year shaped by the lingering effects of 2023’s dual SAG and WGA strikes, which produced both record highs and lows at the box office—is a blur. These are nominations from an inflection point, capturing an industry grappling with its place in a rapidly changing world.
Blockbusters like “Dune: Part 2” and “Wicked” share Best Picture nominations with boundary-pushing indies such as “The Substance,” “Anora,” and “Nickel Boys.” Meanwhile, “Emilia Perez,” which skipped theaters and went straight to Netflix after its Cannes premiere, scored three more nominations than “The Brutalist,” a film crafted specifically for the theatrical experience.

One of the morning’s big surprises was Sebastian Stan’s Best Actor nomination for the Donald Trump biopic “The Apprentice,” a film that struggled to find a domestic distributor and subsequently withered at the box office. Stan used his peers’ reluctance to engage with the political moment to his advantage, calling out the industry in interviews and securing a nomination in the process. In an award season that has been brazenly apolitical, Stan’s nomination is a hint that Hollywood may not be backing down from activism just yet.

Equally thrilling is the resurgence of films like “Conclave” and “A Complete Unknown,” adult dramas that not only managed to break through at the box office but are also reminiscent of a type of storytelling that once defined the Academy Awards. These kinds of movies had shifted to indie productions and streaming platforms as studios leaned heavily into franchise blockbusters, and seeing them nominated across the board makes me optimistic that we will see more like them in the years to come.
But ultimately, the best part of these nominations is that they do what Oscar nominations always do: make movies feel special. In the digital age, it is easy to think of art simply as content. The beauty of the Academy Awards is how they remind us that movies are so much more—that films, regardless of their size or scope, are events unto themselves.
And that is something worth celebrating.
Now Playing
“The Brutalist”
Director Brady Corbet (“Vox Lux”) creates a towering cinematic tribute to the immigrant experience in “The Brutalist.” The story of brilliant architect László Tóth (Oscar winner Adrien Brody), who comes to America after surviving the holocaust and struggles to achieve the American dream while realizing his architectural masterwork. A Golden Globes winner for Best Picture, Actor, and Director, “The Brutalist” is a sweeping cinematic epic that needs to be seen on the big screen.
Starts Friday!

“A Complete Unknown”
The story of how Bob Dylan transformed into a defiant icon.
James Mangold, director of “Walk the Line,” brings the electric true story of Bob Dylan to the big screen in “A Complete Unknown.” Timothée Chalamet stars and sings in this depiction of Dylan’s transformation from an enigmatic 19-year-old from Minnesota to the defiant icon who changed music forever.
Continues this week!

“The Room Next Door”
A meditation on life, loss, and friendship from Pedro Almodóvar.
Legendary director Pedro Almodóvar makes his English-language debut with “The Room Next Door,” a moving meditation on the beauty of friendship, life, and death. Academy Award winners Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore star as Ingrid and Martha, two women who reconnect when Ingrid learns that Martha has terminal cancer. As the old friends come together for an extreme yet strangely sweet reunion, they explore the memories of what brought them together in the first place.
Continues this week!

Coming Soon
“Dog Man”
When a faithful police dog and his human police officer owner are injured together on the job, a harebrained but life-saving surgery fuses the two of them together and Dog Man is born. Based on Dav Pilkey’s beloved graphic novels, “Dog Man” features the voice talents of Pete Davidson, Isla Fisher, Lil Rel Howery, Ricky Gervais, and more in this mad-cap adventure that is a celebration of silliness.
Starts January 31.

“The Last Showgirl”
Pamela Anderson takes on the role of a lifetime in “The Last Showgirl,” Gia Coppola’s tender look at the waning days of a long-running Las Vegas show. Featuring superb performances from Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Billie Lourd, and Kiernan Shipka, “The Last Showgirl” is a testament to the resilience and spirit of the working class artist.
Our first limited engagement of 2024, “The Last Showgirl” plays for one week from February 7 to 13.
