LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP)— “Oppenheimer” — Christopher Nolan’s masterly portrait of the father of the atomic bomb — dominated the Oscar nominations Tuesday, earning an impressive 13 nods including for best picture.

It was followed by “Poor Things,” a female-focused take on the Frankenstein myth, on 11, and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” on 10, in the race for Hollywood’s most prestigious awards.

But it was a somewhat disappointing day for “Barbie,” the other half of last summer’s “Barbenheimer” box office phenomenon and the year’s highest-grossing film.

The comedy had to settle for eight nods — not bad for a satire based on a popular line of plastic dolls, but lower than many had predicted, and missed out on key nominations for Greta Gerwig as director, and star Margot Robbie for best actress.

Those snubs drew outrage from supporting actor nominee Ryan Gosling.

“There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no ‘Barbie’ movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie,” he said.

“To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement.”

“Oppenheimer,” which came out in theatres on the same day as “Barbie” and grossed almost $1 billion, led the way with nods for its director Nolan, and stars Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt.

Murphy told The Irish Times he was at his parents’ house in Cork when he heard the news, and celebrated in a low-key — but very Irish — way.

“We were just having a cup of tea, and then my mum brought out the cake — so we had tea and cake,” the star said.

“Oppenheimer” — which is the clear favourite to win best picture, the industry’s top prize, at the 96th Academy Awards on March 10 — also racked up nods in an array of technical categories.

“Killers of the Flower Moon,” Scorsese’s three-and-a-half-hour true crime opus on murders ripping through the oil-rich Osage community in early 20th century Oklahoma, made history.

Star Lily Gladstone became the Oscars’ first Native American nominee for best actress.

She will now go head-to-head with Emma Stone, the star of “Poor Things,” which also earned an acting nod for Mark Ruffalo, along with a swathe of technical nominations, from cinematography to costume design.

But there was disappointment for “Killers” star Leonardo DiCaprio, who failed to earn a best actor nomination, and the movie also missed out on best adapted screenplay.

It proved to be a record year for female directors.

Three movies helmed by women — French courtroom thriller “Anatomy of a Fall,” “Barbie” and Korean-American romantic drama “Past Lives” — were nominated for best picture, for the first time in more than nine decades of Academy Awards.

Only 19 films by female directors had previously ever been nominated for best picture.