Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" Opens As Oscar Favorite For Best Picture At +240

Christopher Nolan received critical acclaim for his historical drama "Dunkirk," back in 2017. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning three (Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing). Nolan is going back to the well this summer with his adaptation of the 2005 book American Prometheus. The book is a biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. At the heart of the film will be Oppenheimer who was an American theoretical physicist who undertook the development of the first nuclear weapon. His role in the Manhattan Project, the World War II secret weapons project, earned him the nickname "The Father of the Atomic Bomb." Will this subject matter and Nolan's expert skill behind the camera be enough to earn the film a windfall at the box office and the Academy's highest honor? Sportsbooks have weighed in on the latter.

Which Film Will Win The 2024 Academy Award For Best Picture?

While Nolan is no stranger to summer blockbusters, he'll likely be up against a who's who of Hollywood royalty in this category. Martin Scorsese is a living legend and has been nominated in this category three times in the past 11 years. Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" was nominated for Best Picture in 2022 and his "Part Two" has the potential to snag the 55-year-old director a Best Picture Oscar. Bradley Cooper's Maestro may only be his second film behind the camera, but his first "A Star Is Born" was a smash hit. Wes Anderson's "Asteroid City" would be the eccentric filmmaker's second Best Picture nomination after The Grand Budapest Hotel in 2015. And finally, there is David Fincher, who has been nominated for Best Director on three separate occasions, most recently in 2021 for "Mank." Needless to say, this race is just getting started and bettors can expect significant movement in the market in the coming months.