"Barbie" was the No. 1 movie at the box office in 2023 and was rewarded with eight Academy Award nominations on Tuesday. Despite the film being considered for "Best Picture," the Academy of Motion Picture Arts took some criticism for leaving "Barbie" out for two other important categories.
Much to the surprise of many, Margot Robbie, who played the titular character, was not among the five women being considered for Best Actress. Additionally, Greta Gerwig was not among the five Best Director nominees.
Earlier this month, Robbie was up for a Golden Globe for Best Actress and Gerwig had a Best Director nomination, but neither won in their respective categories.
Jenelle Riley, deputy awards and features editor for Variety magazine, noted the stiff competition Robbie faced for Best Actress. The five nominees include Michelle Williams, Cate Blanchett, Andrea Riseborough, Michelle Yeoh, and Ana de Armas.
"Unfortunately, Margot Robbie and lead actress, that category was a bloodbath this year," Riley said. "You know, Natalie Portman didn't get in for 'May December,' Greta Lee for 'Past Lives.' So I could go on and on. There are so many amazing performances that I don't want to say were overlooked. There were just too many, and they can only pick five. The good news is Margot Robbie is nominated (for Best Picture) as a producer of 'Barbie,' so she's still there."
SEE MORE: 'Oppenheimer' tops all Oscar nominees with 13, 'Barbie' snags 8
Gerwig's rebuff was notable as she became the first woman to direct a film that collected over $1 billion at the box office. According to Box Office Mojo, the movie collected over $1.45 billion at the global box office.
"After Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie made a film about patriarchy that generated a billion dollars for Hollywood, the man in the film got nominated for a major award and I'm honestly not sure what I expected," wrote New York Daily Times columnist Brandon Friedman.
"Barbie" still managed to pick up a number of Oscar nominations on Tuesday. Besides Best Picture, Ryan Gosling is up for Best Actor, and America Ferrera is up for Best Supporting Actress. The movie is also being considered for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. Also, two songs from the movie were nominated for Best Original Song.
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