DMS TURNS THE SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT ON THIS YEAR’S OSCARS
On Sunday 10th March, the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood played host to the much-anticipated 96th Academy Awards, drawing filmmakers and movie stars from across the globe. As a top film event of the year, it sparked a flood of social media talk, leading the DMS Social Media Insights team to delve into the online conversations. Their focus this year was to monitor the key drivers of social media buzz such as the most talked-about movies, talent, and on-stage moments from the star-studded event.
Among the evening’s standout films, Oppenheimer emerged as the clear victor, securing an impressive seven wins out of its staggering 12 nominations. Their winning categories were Best Picture, Best Director for Christopher Nolan, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Cillian Murphy, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Robert Downey Jr, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score.
Unsurprisingly, Oppenheimer dominated discussions, tallying an impressive 432k mentions throughout the night. However, it comes as no surprise that the most-viewed moment belonged to Robert Downey Jr., who clinched his first Academy Award for his supporting role in the film. His win earned over 5 million views on a video published by ABC News, with the film generating the second-highest recorded number of hashtags, appearing a staggering 113k times across social media platforms.
Aside from the nominated films, there was one particular performance from the evening which captured significant attention. During an ensemble rendition of “I’m Just Ken” from the movie Barbie, Ryan Gosling surprised the audience by inviting Mark Ronson and Slash to join him on stage. This electrifying performance has since been viewed nearly 4 million times on Atlantic Records’ YouTube channel. The performance likely played a huge part in becoming a central topic of the night, generating a grand total of 180k mentions across social media platforms during the show.
The blockbuster took home one award in the form of singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell for their stunning Best Original Song; What Was I Made For? This is the duo’s second win for Original Song, after James Bond track No Time to Die in 2021, making Billie Eilish is the youngest two-time Oscar winner in history.
Additionally, one presenting moment stood out as John Cena, nearly naked, took the stage to present the award for Best Costume Design. This unconventional presentation amassed a total of 4.4 million views on ABC News’ YouTube channel, and marked a memorable win for Holly Waddington, who secured her first Oscar for her exceptional work on Poor Things.
Poor Things celebrated four wins in total, triumphing in categories such as Best Production Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. The film also saw Emma Stone clinch the victory for Best Actress in a Leading Role, further solidifying its success at the 2024 Oscars.
Godzilla Minus One brought home several milestones on top of their win for Best Visual Effects. Not only is it the first Godzilla film to win any kind of Oscar, but it’s also the first foreign language film and first Japanese production to win the award. Godzilla Minus One was also the third most discussed film of the night, and the third most popular hashtag.
These insights provided by the DMS Social Media Insights team shed light on the huge impact of the 96th Academy Awards on social media platforms. Through meticulous monitoring of online conversations, we can see how certain films, performances, and moments capture the attention of audiences worldwide. In an age where digital engagement is paramount, harnessing this data becomes indispensable for filmmakers and marketers to understand how their work is received, guiding their decisions on future projects.
For more information on our Social Insights and Analytics Services, please contact robin.mcdonald@dmsukltd.com or anna.zaikini@dmsukltd.com
