Anticipation builds for Sunday’s Oscars awards

The chain reaction set off by the fusion of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" will come to a head on March 10 at the Oscars, where one is expected to own the red carpet, and the other to dominate the awards.

"Oppenheimer," Christopher Nolan's epic drama about the father of the atomic bomb J. Robert Oppenheimer, is the overwhelming favorite to win best picture honors and much more on Hollywood's biggest night.

The combination of a revered director, unimpeachable cast, box office and critical success, and an urgent subject matter means "there is no justifiable reason to predict anything else," Hollywood Reporter awards columnist Scott Feinberg told AFP.

The film is tipped to take golden statuettes for best director, supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr., and a host of technical prizes from cinematography and editing to sound and score.

"I went pretty much all 'Oppenheimer' this year," said one Oscars voter, who asked to remain anonymous as Academy members are instructed not to discuss their ballots.

And what about "Barbie," released on the same weekend last summer as "Oppenheimer," prompting a bizarre and highly meme-able double bill that collectively grossed $2.4 billion worldwide?

The surreal feminist comedy is unlikely to leave the Oscars empty-handed.

As well as technical prizes like costume design, it boasts the two frontrunners for best song.

Both Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For?" and the movie's showstopping "I'm Just Ken" will be performed during the Oscars gala.

Supporting actor nominee Ryan Gosling's first-ever live performance of the latter power ballad is likely to be a standout moment.

With Margot Robbie nominated as a producer, America Ferrera as supporting actress, and Greta Gerwig...