Oscar nominees for Best Picture by runtime: Which are the longest and shortest on the list?

In just a few short days, Hollywood’s shining stars will head to the Dolby Theater for the 96th Academy Awards. The event is scheduled for Sunday, 10 March, and will begin at 4 PM PT in Los Angeles.

Last-minute movie watching may be in order for some cinema fans, and here is your guide to evaluating which films you may be able to sneak a viewing of before Sunday’s event. Organized by runtime, this list includes a short description of the film, the other awards it was nominated for, and a link to the trailer. Voting has already taken place by the Academy’s members, and by viewing the films, you will be able to enjoy the event much more deeply (and even walk away frustrated or confused over some of the winners).

Easily one of the most exciting nights in Hollywood, the evening would be incomplete without the event’s host and musical guests. This year is no different, with Jimmy Kimmel back for his fourth year hosting and performances by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson, Jon Batiste, and many more planned to keep the audience in the theater and at home entertained.

Yesterday, The Academy posted a viewing guide to the event on X that dives deeper into what viewers can expect regarding performers, presenters, and the films that have the chance to make history this year. “Oppenheimer” has received the highest number of nominations with thirteen total, including Best Actor, Best Picture, and Best Director. Usually, however, it is not the film with the most nominations that takes home the most sought-after award of the night, Best Picture. Looking back at the last five years, only “Everything Everywhere All At Once” took home Best Picture while being the film with the greatest number of nominations.

Best Picture nominees by run time

Seeing that time is ticking between now and Sunday, here is the list of the nominees for Best Picture organized by their runtime. At first glance, it may seem impossible to get through the entire list, but a few of the candidates are under the two-hour mark and could be watched this weekend. Moreover, the list could also come in handy after the event has taken place for those looking to catch a few of the movies recognized by the Academy after tuning into Sunday’s event.

“The Zone of Interest”

Hoping to catch one of the nominees that is under two hours? At 105 minutes, A24′s “The Zone of Interest” is the shortest film on the list. Vaguely based on a novel of the same name by Martin Amis, the film takes place at the home of Nazi SS officer Rudolf Hoss, who is tasked with overseeing Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Even in their backyard, people can ignore the horrors they or others inflict on each other, a warning that director Jonathan Glazer still sees as extremely pertinent today. The film is up for five awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, and Best Sound. It can still be seen in theaters or rented from home for $19.99.

“Past Lives”

Yet, again, another A24 film makes the list early. Only one minute longer than “The Zone of Interest,” “Past Lives,” directed by Celine Strong, is a great option for those looking for a romantic film. Under pressure created by professional and familial expectations, young lovers reconnect in this flick, with the protagonists losing touch after attending high school in Seoul, South Korea, and stumbling upon each other’s social media profiles over a decade later. The film is also nominated for Best Original Screenplay and can be viewed for free by those with a Showtime subscription.

“Barbie”

Making it into the third slot with a runtime of 114 minutes is “Barbie,” directed by Greta Gerwig. America Ferrera and Ryan Gossling secured their own Oscar nominations for their performances. Noise was made after the nominations were released as Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig did not receive Best Actress and Best Director nominations, respectively. A flood of social media posts, including one from Hillary Clinton, lit platforms on fire as fans voiced their frustration after the pair were left without a nomination.

Gerwig was nominated for Best Director for “Lady Bird” in 2017, and Robbie has been nominated once for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. Even though the movie raked in far more than any other nominated at the box office, that never secured those who made the film nominations. Disgruntled fans may still look at what happened as a snub, but the hype around “Barbie” showed the power of movies to unite people. The film, which can be viewed for free by those with an HBO Max or premium Amazon Prime, Hulu, or YouTube subscription, is nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Original Song “I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For?” and Best Production Design.

“American Fiction”

Ticking closer to the two-hour mark, we have “American Fiction,” directed by Cord Jefferson, with a run time of 117 minutes. Overt in its handling of racism and how race influences production decisions in the book industry, the film is humorous, smart, and entertaining. Two of the film’s leading actors, Jeffery Wright and Sterling K. Brown, were nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively (as well as Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay). For those looking to watch the movie, it is available on Amazon Prime for $14.99 and Youtube for $19.99.

“Maestro”

In the fifth position is “Maestro,” directed and starring Bradley Cooper, with a runtime of 129 minutes. Garnering $820,000 at the box office, “Maestro” tells the story of the romantic relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre. Upon its release, David Rooney, a writer for The Hollywood Reporter, admired the film’s honesty in describing marriage and the complexity of relationships. Receiving seven Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Sound, “Maetro” has many chances to take home one of the night’s most significant awards. Easy viewing options are available to those with a Netflix account, as the film can be streamed on the platform. The fact that “Maestro” is a Netflix movie may have limited its success at the box office.

“The Holdovers”

Only two hours and thirteen minutes, “The Holdover” is the sixth shortest movie on this year’s Best Picture list. Unsurprisingly, as with many films that center on the life of a teacher, this one is likely to bring you a warm fuzzy feeling when watching. This picture, starring Paul Giamatti, follows the life of a hardened history teacher at an all-boys boarding school in New England as he is forced to reevaluate much of how he has lived his life while spending Christmas with students unable to go home for the holidays. “The Holdovers” has five chances to seize an award on Friday: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing and can be streamed on Peacock or purchased on YouTube, Apple TV, and Vudu for $5.99.

“Poor Things”

The seventh position is filled by “Poor Things,” which has a runtime of 142 minutes and was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. Having been nominated for Best Director and Best Picture for “The Favourite,” Lanthimos once again has the chance to seize the prestigious pair of awards. Even if Lanthimos is unable to secure wins in the categories he is nominated in, “Poor Things” has eleven chances to win at Sunday’s event: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, and Best Film Editing. The film can be streamed on Vudu for $12.99 or on Amazon Prime, YouTube, and Apple TV for $19.99.

“Anatomy of a Fall”

Coming in at number eight at 152 minutes is “Anatomy of a Fall,” directed by Justine Triet. Of all the movies on the list, “Anatomy of a Fall” is the longest foreign film. Don’t let that scare you! Every film nominated has been selected for a reason, and this French legal drama will keep you entertained as the case unfolds. The film won the awards for Best Non-English Picture and Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes in January and has been nominated for five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing. It can be streamed on Apple TV and Amazon Prime for $5.99.

“Oppenheimer”

Half an hour shorter than the longest movie on the list is “Oppenheimer,” which reaches the three-hour mark. “Oppenheimer” has received thirteen awards, more than any other film on this list. Produced by Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, and Christopher Nolan (who also directed the film), “Oppenheimer” is a favorite to sweep at this year’s ceremony. Every indication points towards the film’s success on Sunday, with the picture winning Best Film at the British Academy Film Awards and Best Motion Picture – Drama at the Golden Globes. Peacock members can stream the film for free, while YouTube and Amazon Prime charges $5.99 to rent the flick.

“Killers of the Flower Moon”

Yearning for a long movie? Our suggestion is Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which, at 206 minutes, is the longest film on the list. Under such fierce competition in the Best Picture category, the film has nine other opportunities to win on Sunday: Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song. The movie tells the story of the Osage Nation in the early 1900s after discovering oil on their territory and the unbelievable sequence of events that occurred afterward.

Even though the film does not dive into the racial divides of the events, the audience gets a dark glimpse into US history. Navigating how to include forgotten moments of US history like the Tulsa Massacre was Scorsese’s job, and the critics had differing opinions on how he did. Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times lauded the film as “a passionate and meticulous feat of cultural anthropology.” On the more critical side was Angelica Jade Bastién of Vulture, who accused Scorsese of “returning to the same racial stereotypes he sought to avoid: The Osage people are noble and connected to the land, but their personalities, their desires, their joys, and, most crucially, their anger remain in the shadowed hallways of a history Scorsese is too timid to approach.” Yet, the film remains in a strong position on Rotton Tomatoes with a score of 93 percent. Even after Scorsese’s success in Hollywood, a win for Best Director would only be his second. Decades in Hollywood have earned him ten nominations in the category, with “The Departed” being his only win. “Killers of the Flower Moon” can be streamed for free by Apple TV subscribers.