Cillian Murphy is among the stars tipped to receive a Golden Globe nomination when they are unveiled on Monday.
Barbie and Oppenheimer, collectively dubbed 'Barbenheimer' after their cinema releases happened to fall on the same date, are expected to lead the nominations for the newly revamped Golden Globes.
Barbie was 2023's top-grossing movie, earning more than $1.4 billion (€1.3 billion) globally. It is tipped to earn nods for its leading stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, as well as writer-director Greta Gerwig.
Meanwhile, Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's acclaimed drama about the inventor of the nuclear bomb, took in $950 million (€867 million) at the box office worldwide.
Cork actor Murphy is expected to receive a Best Actor nomination for his titular role in the drama, while his co-star Robert Downey Jr and director Nolan are also likely to be nominated.
Variety has also tipped Dublin star Andrew Scott to receive a Golden Globe nod for his role in the drama All of Us Strangers, in which he appears alongside Paul Mescal. The US entertainment trade publication also suggests Mescal could be nominated for his co-starring role in the drama.
In the Best Director category, Yorgos Lanthimos has been tipped to receive a nod for Poor Things, the Element Pictures co-produced film starring Emma Stone. Stone is also expected to receive a nomination for her turn in the female Frankenstein-esque drama.
Organisers of the Globes will hope that the enduring hype and attention surrounding 'Barbenheimer', as well as other popular and acclaimed films such as Killers of the Flower Moon and Poor Things, can shift the focus away from the gala's recent notoriety.
The Golden Globes have endured a rough few years after a Los Angeles Times expose in 2021 showed that the awards' voting body - the Hollywood Foreign Press Association - had no Black members.
That revelation triggered the airing of a wide range of other long-simmering criticisms about the HFPA, including allegations of amateurism and corruption.
Earlier this year, the awards' assets and trademarks were purchased and overhauled by a group of private investors including US billionaire Todd Boehly, and the HFPA was disbanded.
Hollywood-based former HFPA members have been banned from accepting gifts, and will now be paid a salary to vote for their favourite films and shows, while more than 200 non-member (and unpaid) voters from around the world have been added to the Globes mix.
Cedric The Entertainer and Wilmer Valderrama will announce the Globes nominees on CBS Mornings from 13.30 GMT.
One of the United States' biggest national television networks, CBS has stepped in to become the new home of the Globes, after long-standing host NBC ended its deal to broadcast the event.
CBS bosses will be hoping for vastly improved ratings, after the 2023 Globes slumped to a new low of just 6.3 million viewers, even as other shows such as the Oscars recovered from pandemic viewership nadirs.
A new category for "best cinematic or box office achievement" has been added, paving the way for nominations for popular films that would not usually earn critical recognition, such as Universal's $1.3 billion-grossing The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Marvel superhero film Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3.
In another seeming bid to honour more household names, the number of nominees in each category has been increased.
A-listers such as Leonardo DiCaprio - the star of Martin Scorsese's crime epic Killers of the Flower Moon - Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Timothee Chalamet (Wonka) and Natalie Portman (May December) are also tipped to feature.
The Globes also honour television, with dramas Succession and The Last Of Us likely to rack up nods, alongside comedies The Bear and Ted Lasso.
The 81st Golden Globes ceremony will take place on 7 January.
Additional reporting: AFP
