The AFI Top Ten Begs the Question: Will Film Awards Season Give Us “Barbenheimer” Round Two?
The American Film Institute announced on Thursday its selection for the top ten movies of 2023, and among the honorees were both Barbie and Oppenheimer.
Unlike back in July, when the two films opened on the same day, each competing for box office dominance – the event was dubbed “Barbenheimer” in the media, with Barbie notching the best box office results – the two movies are not competing against each other for the AFI honor. However, it is a sign that come awards season, as the Golden Globes, the SAG awards, the Oscars and other release their nominations, the two movies, fundamentally different in tone but both critically acclaimed at the time of their release, could be vying for the same Best Picture honors.
Not that either movie is a lock for filmdom’s top honors. AFI honored an eclectic mix of films on its top ten; in addition to Oppenheimer, AFI gave nods to Bradley Cooper’s biopic Maestro, Martin Scorsese’s historical epic Killers of the Flower Moon, as well as Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, and Celine Song’s Past Lives.
Yorgos Lanthimos’ quirky body-horror comedy Poor Things was honored, as was Todd Haynes’ darkly funny May December. Finally, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was the only movie among the top ten besides Barbie to be featured in the toy aisle of your favorite retailer.
AFI also celebrated the top ten television shows of the year, giving honors to Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Beef, Jury Duty, The Last of Us, The Morning Show, Only Murders in the Building, Poker Face, Reservation Dogs and Succession.
Max and FX each had two shows among the top ten, The Bear and Reservation Dogs for FX and The Last of Us and Succession on Max. Freevee, Peacock, Apple TV+ and Hulu each had one nominee, and the sole broadcast network on the list, ABC, had one for Abbot Elementary.
“As our nation and our world continue to navigate difficult times, AFI is honored to shine a proper light upon these works of art that lift us up and, ultimately, lead us to empathy,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO in a statement. “That we do so without competition is AFI’s hallmark, and we are proud to gather this community of artists together – as one – to celebrate their extraordinary contributions to our time.”
Honorees will gather on Friday, January 12th, 2024, for recognition at the annual AFI AWARDS private luncheon