DES MOINES, Iowa — The 96th Academy Awards are on Sunday, March 10 and honor the best films to come from a tumultuous, strike-filled year in the film industry.
Leading the nomination cycle is "Oppenheimer" with 13 nominations, followed closely by "Poor Things" with 11 and "Killers of the Flower Moon", which garnered 10.
The nominated films — which were all released in 2023, despite work stoppages and production delays — have it all: thrilling dramatizations, otherworldly fantasy narratives, historical dramas and show-stopping animation.
So, where in the Des Moines metro can you watch them before the biggest awards show in Hollywood?
Below is a movie-by-movie watching guide to the 2024 Oscars.
"Oppenheimer"
With 13 nominations, the 3-hour film detailing the story of the Manhattan Project's J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and his atomic creation is leading the pack.
Though it released on July 21, 2023 — now historically referred to as "Barbenheimer" release day — it's back in some local theaters ahead of the Oscars.
B&B Theatres Ankeny 12
- Buy tickets here
- 1580 SW Market St, Ankeny
Cinemark Century Jordan Creek 20 and XD
- Buy tickets here
- 101 Jordan Creek Parkway, Bldg. 2000, West Des Moines
Waukee - The Palms Theatres & Imax
- Buy tickets here
- 200 NE Westgate Drive, Waukee
"Poor Things"
Emma Stone's unorthodox adventure across continents as a newly-reborn woman is a raunchy, spellbinding and fantastical look at what it means to be alive. Even better? It's in theaters now.
Cinemark Century Jordan Creek 20 and XD
- Buy tickets here
- 101 Jordan Creek Parkway, Bldg. 2000, West Des Moines
Flix Brewhouse
- Buy tickets here
- 3800 Merle Hay Road, Suite 1300, Des Moines
Waukee - The Palms Theatres & Imax
- Buy tickets here
- 200 NE Westgate Drive, Waukee
"Killers of the Flower Moon"
The latest from legendary director Martin Scorsese, "Killers of the Flower Moon" is a tale of betrayal, love and colonialism.
Based off the book "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI", the American historical drama is headlined by Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone.
Cinemark Century Jordan Creek 20 and XD
- Buy tickets here
- 101 Jordan Creek Parkway, Bldg. 2000, West Des Moines
Cinemark Century Altoona and XD
- Buy tickets here
- 2227 Adventureland Drive NW, Altoona
"American Fiction"
In his directorial debut, Cord Jefferson tells the story of Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a novelist who is fed up with stereotypes in the publishing world. Monk decides to write a satirical, stereotype-filled novel, but the book's immediate success forces him to examine his own worldview.
Cinemark Century Jordan Creek 20 and XD
- Buy tickets here
- 101 Jordan Creek Parkway, Bldg. 2000, West Des Moines
Varsity Cinema
- Buy tickets here
- 1207 25th Street, Des Moines
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"The Holdovers"
This R-rated flick dissects growing bonds between an instructor at a New England prep school (Paul Giamatti) who befriends a damaged teenager and the school's head cook while stuck on campus during Christmas break.
Cinemark Century Jordan Creek 20 and XD
- Buy tickets here
- 101 Jordan Creek Parkway, Bldg. 2000, West Des Moines
"The Zone of Interest"
Watch the commandant of Auschwitz and his wife build a dream life for their family at a house located just outside of the camp in this German-language historical drama, starting Feb. 2, 2024.
Fleur Cinema and Cafe
- Buy tickets here
- 4545 Fleur Drive, Des Moines
Varsity Cinema
- Buy tickets here
- 1207 25th Street, Des Moines
"Past Lives"
"Past Lives" showcases the lifelong, often long-distance relationship between two childhood friends who are torn apart after one emigrates from South Korea. Back in each other's lives for just one week, the pair are forced to face their destiny.
Cinemark Century Jordan Creek 20 and XD
- Buy tickets here
- 101 Jordan Creek Parkway, Bldg. 2000, West Des Moines
"The Color Purple"
A beloved story of resilience, hope and love, "The Color Purple" depicts the self-actualization of a young Black woman in rural Georgia in the early 20th century, through love and loss.
The Iowa Theater
- Buy tickets here
- 121 North John Wayne Drive, Winterset
Other Oscar picks that don't have any showings in or around Des Moines right now include:
- "Maestro"
- "Anatomy of a Fall"
- "Nyad", "Society of the Snow"
- "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
- "May December"
- "Rustin"
- "20 Days in Mariupol"
"The Boy and the Heron"
Luckily for all movie lovers out there, streaming options are available for most of these films.