Oscars 2024 ceremony to start one hour earlier than previously scheduled


The 96th Oscars 2024 ceremony starts an hour earlier to make things easier for viewers and get more eyeballs on Abbott Elementary.

Oscars, 2024, ABC

We’re only a few short months away from the Oscars 2024 ceremony, and the party will start slightly earlier than usual! According to ABC and Oscar organizer, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the event is moving up by one hour on Sunday, March 10, with a start time of 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and run to 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.

Jimmy Kimmel hosts the annual celebration of film and fancy people for his fourth consecutive year, with an original episode of Abbott Elementary following the presentation. The new start time gets the party jumping earlier in the evening, giving people who need to work in the morning a break and more eyeballs on the anticipated episode of Abbott Elementary. The schedule change affects the pre-show, too. The pre-game now runs for 30 minutes (as opposed to 90), airing at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.

Nominations for the 96th ceremony at the Dolby Theater arrive on January 23, with shortlists in eight categories announced on December 21. Competition will be fierce this year, with several heavy-hitters vying for the prize. Predictions for this year’s nominations include BarbieOppenheimerThe HoldoversAmerican FictionPoor ThingsKillers of the Flower MoonMaestroMay DecemberOrigin, and The Zone of Interest for Best Picture.

Possible contenders for Best Director include Greta Gerwig (Barbie), Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest), Cord Jefferson (American Fiction), Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer), and Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon). Meanwhile, Bradley Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cillian Murphy, Colman Domingo, and Jeffrey Wright could land Best Actor noms, with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Lily Gladstone, Sandra Hüller, and Emma Stone as likely contenders for Best Actress.

Are you excited about the Oscars 2024 ceremony? Does the schedule change make your life easier in any way? What are your picks for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress? Do you plan to attend an Oscar party now that Covid restrictions have lessened in the past year? Let us know your answers to these questions in the comments, and we’ll see you in a few months for the big show!