Final Oscar Predictions: Film Editing – ‘Oppenheimer’ to Become First Three Hour Movie to Win Since ‘The Return of the King’

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

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OSCARS | EMMYS | GRAMMYS | TONYS

2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Achievement in Film Editing

Weekly Commentary (Updated March 7, 2024): Jennifer Lame’s incredible editing on “Oppenheimer” will mark the first solo woman to win the category since Margaret Sixel for “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015). It will also be the first three-hour movie to win since “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003).

Will Win: “Oppenheimer” (Jennifer Lame)
Could Win: “Anatomy of a Fall” (Laurent Sénéchal)
Should Win: “Anatomy of a Fall”
Should have been here: “Air” (William Goldenberg) and “The Iron Claw” (Matthew Hannam)

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.

The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10.

And the Nominees Are:

1. “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures) — Jennifer Lame

2. “Anatomy of a Fall” (Neon) — Laurent Sénéchal

3. “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures) — Thelma Schoonmaker

4. “The Holdovers” (Focus Features) — Kevin Tent

5. “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures) — Yorgos Mavropsaridis

Eligible Titles (Alphabetized by Studio)**

• “The Creator” (20th Century Studios) — Hank Corwin, Joe Walker, Scott Morris

• “A Haunting in Venice” (20th Century Studios) — Lucy Donaldson

• “Beau is Afraid” (A24) — Lucian Johnston

• “Dream Scenario” (A24) — Kristoffer Borgli

• “The Iron Claw” (A24) — Matthew Hannam

• “Past Lives” (A24) — Keith Fraase

• “Priscilla” (A24) — Sarah Flack

• “You Hurt My Feelings” (A24) — Alisa Lepselter

• “The Zone of Interest” (A24) — Paul Watts

• “Air” (Amazon MGM Studios) — William Goldenberg

• “The Burial” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Lee Percy, Jay Cassidy

• “Cassandro” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Affonso Gonçalves, Yibrán Asuad, Sabine Hoffman

• “Foe” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Peter Sciberras

• “Saltburn” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Victoria Boydell

• “Fingernails” (Apple Original Films) — Yorgos Zafeiris

• “Flora and Son” (Apple Original Films) — Stephen O’Connell

• “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures) — Thelma Schoonmaker

• “Napoleon” (Apple Original Films/Sony Pictures) — Claire Simpson, Sam Restivo

• “Golda” (Bleecker Street) — Arik Lahav-Leibovich

• “Asteroid City” (Focus Features) — Barney Pilling

• “The Holdovers” (Focus Features) — Kevin Tent

• “The Boy and the Heron” (GKids) — Takeshi Seyama

• “BlackBerry” (IFC Films) — Curt Lobb

• “Monica” (IFC Films) — Paola Freddi

• “The Taste of Things” (IFC Films/Sapan Studio) — Mario Battistel

• “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” (Lionsgate) — Nick Moore, Oona Flaherty

• “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” (Lionsgate) — Mark Yoshikawa

• “John Wick Chapter 4” (Lionsgate) — Nathan Orloff

• “Story Ave” (Kino Lorber) — Jasmin Way

• “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (Marvel Studios) — Fred Raskin, Greg D’Auria

• “The Marvels” (Marvel Studios) — Catrin Hedström, Evan Schiff

• “American Fiction” (MGM) — Hilda Rasula

• “The Boys in the Boat” (MGM) — Tanya Swerling

• “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant” (MGM) — James Herbert

• “Creed III” (MGM) — Tyler Nelson, Jessica Baclesse

• “Anatomy of a Fall” (Neon) — Laurent Sénéchal

• “Eileen” (Neon) — Nick Emerson

• “Ferrari” (Neon) — Pietro Scalia

• “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” (Neon) — Daniel Garber

• “Origin” (Neon) — Spencer Averick

• “Fair Play” (Netflix) — Franklin Peterson

• “The Killer” (Netflix) — Kirk Baxter

• “Leave the World Behind” (Netflix) — Emma Rose Nardi

• “May December” (Netflix) — Affonso Gonçalves

• “Maestro” (Netflix) — Michelle Tesoro

• “Nyad” (Netflix) — Christopher Tellefsen

• “Rebel Moon” (Netflix) — Dody Dorn

• “Rustin” (Netflix) — Andrew Mondshein

• “Dungeons & Dragons” (Paramount Pictures) — Dan Lebental

• “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (Paramount Pictures) — Eddie Hamilton

• “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” (Paramount Pictures) — Greg Levitan

• “Elemental” (Pixar) — Stephen Schaffer

• “All of Us Strangers” (Searchlight Pictures) — Jonathan Alberts

• “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures) — Yorgos Mavropsaridis

• “Dumb Money” (Sony Pictures) — Kirk Baxter

• “The Equalizer 3” (Sony Pictures) — Conrad Buff

• “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures) — Michael Andrews

• “Freud’s Last Session” (Sony Pictures Classics) — To be announced

• “The Persian Version” (Sony Pictures Classics) — Abolfazl Talooni, JoAnne Yarrow

• “The Teachers’ Lounge” (Sony Pictures Classics) — Gesa Jäger

• “M3gan” (Universal Pictures) — Jeff McEvoy

• “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures) — Jennifer Lame

• “She Came to Me” (Vertical Entertainment) — Sabine Hoffman

• “Barbie” (Warner Bros.) — Nick Houy

• “Blue Beetle” (Warner Bros.) — Craig Alpert

• “The Color Purple” (Warner Bros.) — Jon Poll

• “Wonka” (Warner Bros.) — Mark Everson

• “The Little Mermaid” (Walt Disney Pictures) — Wyatt Smith

2022 category winner: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24) — Paul Rogers

Oscars Predictions Categories

BEST PICTURE | DIRECTOR | BEST ACTOR | BEST ACTRESS | SUPPORTING ACTOR | SUPPORTING ACTRESS | ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY | ADAPTED SCREENPLAY | ANIMATED FEATURE | PRODUCTION DESIGN | CINEMATOGRAPHY | COSTUME DESIGN | FILM EDITING | MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING | SOUND | VISUAL EFFECTS | ORIGINAL SCORE | ORIGINAL SONG | DOCUMENTARY FEATURE | INTERNATIONAL FEATURE | ANIMATED SHORT | DOCUMENTARY SHORT | LIVE ACTION SHORT

About the Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners have been selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Seventeen branches are represented within the nearly 10,000-person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.

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