Barack Obama snubs ‘Wicked,’ praises ‘Anora’ in his ‘favorite movies of 2024’ list

Barack Obama has no interest in defying gravity.

America’s 44th president released his “favorite movies of 2024” list on Friday, and box-office smash Wicked is noticeably absent. Instead, the 10 films that made the Obama cut are All We Imagine as Light, Conclave, The Piano Lesson, The Promised Land, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Dune: Part Two, Anora, Dìdi, Sugarcane, and A Complete Unknown.

“Here are a few movies I’d recommend checking out this year,” the pop culture-loving former POTUS wrote on his social media, while also running down his favorite books and music of the 2024 calendar year.

Obama’s film list includes a mix of Oscar frontrunners like Anora, starring Mikey Madison as a Brooklyn sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch; Conclave, about the turmoil that erupts inside the Vatican after the pope dies; and Dune: Part Two, the second installment in Denis Villeneuve‘s epic trilogy.

Meanwhile, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is eligible at the upcoming Oscars in Best International Film, and Sugarcane is a contender in Best Documentary Feature. But we’d be remiss not to note that The Promised Land actually came out in 2023 and was eligible at last year’s Oscars.

Only three of Obama’s choices rank among Gold Derby’s 10 predicted Best Picture Academy Award nominees: Anora, Conclave, and Dune: Part Two. A fourth film, A Complete Unknown, is right behind in our rankings in 11th place. Our other seven predictions for the top Oscar are The Brutalist, Wicked, Emilia Pérez, Sing Sing, A Real Pain, Nickel Boys, and The Substance.

There’s some potentially good news for Wicked fans, as Obama’s lists aren’t necessarily set in stone. Remember, last year he added The Color Purple to his “favorite movies of 2023” list after initially snubbing it. We’re guessing that last-minute decision made producer Oprah Winfrey quite happy.

The 2025 Oscars ceremony will take place on March 2, with Conan O’Brien serving as host.

What do you think of Obama’s film choices? Sound off down in the comments section and join the discussion in our movie forums.

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