Jimmy Kimmel kicked off the 96th Academy Awards with his opening monologue.

"It was a hard year, but it was also a great year for movies," he said, referencing the writers and actors strikes from 2023. "The people in this room somehow managed to come up with so many excellent films and memorable performances. This night is full of enormous talent and untold potential -- but so was 'Madame Web,' but who knows."

Kimmel also spoke about the year's biggest hit at the box office, "Barbie," crediting director Greta Gerwig with making the doll a "feminist icon" and poking fun at her widely perceived snub for best director.

"I know you're clapping, but you're the ones who didn't vote for her, by the way," he joked, speaking to the audience.

Kimmel also got a laugh when he said that if "Barbie" stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling didn't win anything tonight, they at least had "already won something much more important -- the genetic lottery."

Also receiving a shoutout was Messi the dog from "Anatomy of a Fall," who the talk show host said "may have given the performance of the year."

Kimmel also joked about how many of the year's nominated films were longer than normal, saying he had his mail redirected to the movie theater when seeing "Killers of the Flower Moon."

The 2024 Oscars red carpet was interrupted by protesters prior to the Oscars ceremony.

Arrivals were stalled for more than 30 minutes as protesters stopped access to cars arriving on the red carpet.

Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy were among the stars impacted by the protests.

There are 10 films vying for the coveted best picture award tonight.

Among them are Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer," which has a total of 13 nominations this year, as well as Yorgos Lanthimos' "Poor Things" and Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon," which have 11 nominations and 10 nominations, respectively.

Cord Jefferson's "American Fiction," Justine Triet's "Anatomy of a Fall," Greta Gerwig's "Barbie," Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers," Bradley Cooper's "Maestro," Celine Song's "Past Lives" and Jonathan Glazer's "The Zone of Interest" are also nominated.

Check out a guide on where to watch the best picture nominees here.

Christopher Nolan's biopic "Oppenheimer" could make history tonight by either tying or breaking the record for the most Oscar wins by a single film.

Going into tonight's ceremony, the film was nominated for 13 Oscars, including the coveted best picture award.

Currently, the record for most Oscar wins by a single film is 11. That title is shared by "Ben-Hur," "Titanic" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," with each of those films winning 11 trophies at Academy Awards ceremonies in 1960, 1998 and 2004, respectively.

With 11 total nominations tonight, "Poor Things" has a shot at tying the record.

Check out more potential historic moments here.

Cillian Murphy won the Oscar for best actor for his role in "Oppenheimer."

The actor, who portrayed physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, in "Oppenheimer," said he was "overwhelmed" to have won the award.

"I'm a very proud Irishman standing here tonight," he said. "We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb and, for better or for worse, we're all living in Oppenheimer's world, so I would really like to dedicate this to peacemakers everywhere."

Murphy accepted the Oscar from a group of previous best actor winners, including Nicolas Cage, Matthew McConaughey, Brendan Fraser, Ben Kingsley and Forest Whitaker.

This awards season, Murphy has won a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a BAFTA.

Other nominees in the category included Bradley Cooper for "Maestro," Colman Domingo for "Rustin," Paul Giamatti for "The Holdovers" and Jeffrey Wright for "American Fiction."