'Oppenheimer' starts strong in bid for Oscars glory

HOLLYWOOD, United States — "Oppenheimer" got off to a blistering start on Sunday at the Oscars, Hollywood's biggest night of the year, with three awards including one for best supporting actor Robert Downey Jr. -- and more likely to come.

Christopher Nolan's masterful drama about the father of the atomic bomb, half of last summer's massive "Barbenheimer" phenomenon, is the firm favorite to sweep the movie industry's top awards, including best picture.

"I would like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy, in that order," Downey said after accepting the statuette.

Downey, who had been the butt of a joke by host Jimmy Kimmel about his well-documented drug problems, lavished thanks on his wife Susan for her support.

"She found me a snarling rescue pet and loved me back to life," he said.

The film also snapped up prizes for editing and cinematography.

The other huge smash of the year, Greta Gerwig's pop feminist blockbuster "Barbie," featured heavily throughout the gala in Los Angeles.

While the movie, which grossed $1.4 billion at the box office, was not expected to win many prizes, it proved a target that Kimmel could not pass up in his opening monologue, with a nod to stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

"Ryan and Margot, I want you to know that even if neither of you wins an Oscar tonight, you both already won something much more important: the genetic lottery," he said.

But all eyes were on Nolan's cerebral take on what he has called "the most important person who ever lived."

Beyond Downey's win, the film has a strong chance at best actor honors for Cillian Murphy, who is locked in a tight race with Paul Giamatti of "The Holdovers."

The film is still up for golden statuettes for best director, and technical prizes including score.

"It just had everything, the scale, the scope, the importance," said one Oscars voter, who asked to remain anonymous as Academy members are instructed not to discuss their ballots.

"This is the year for 'Oppenheimer,'" the voter told AFP.

Da'Vine Joy Randolph ("The Holdovers") won the first award of the night for best supporting actress for her performance in "The Holdovers."

Elsewhere, the competition for best actress