Robert Downey Jr. Wins His First Oscar

Oppenheimer, the solemn three-hour biopic that became an unlikely billion-dollar box-office sensation, was crowned best picture at a 96th Academy Awards that doubled as a coronation for Christopher Nolan, the AP reports. After passing over arguably Hollywood's foremost big-screen auteur for years, the Oscars made up for lost time by heaping seven awards on Nolan's blockbuster biopic, including best actor for Cillian Murphy, best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr. (his first Oscar), and best director for Nolan. In anointing Oppenheimer, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences did something it hasn't done for more than a decade: hand its top prize to a widely seen, big-budget studio film. Other big awards:

• Best actress: The most closely watched contest of Oscar night went to Emma Stone, who won for her performance as Bella Baxter in Poor Things. Stone won over Lily Gladstone of Killers of the Flower Moon, who would have become the first Native American to win an Academy Award. Instead, Oscar voters handed Stone her second best actress Oscar following her 2017 win for La La Land, confirming the 35-year-old as arguably the preeminent big-screen actress of her generation.
• Best supporting actress: The night's first award was one of its most predictable: Da'Vine Joy Randolph for her performance in Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers." An emotional Randolph was accompanied to the stage by co-star Paul Giamatti.

• Best song: Meanwhile, Barbie, last year's biggest box-office hit with more than $1.4 billion in ticket sales, ultimately won just one award: best song for Billie Eilish and Finneas' "What Was I Made For?" Sorry, "I'm Just Ken." See the AP's full list of winners here.

(More Academy Awards stories.)