Wicked’s Lone Golden Globes Win Doesn’t Make Sense

Although Wicked did win one Golden Globe, the blockbuster’s lone success of the night was arguably the nomination that made the least sense. Wicked fared well when the nominations for 2025’s Golden Globes were announced. As fans across the world eagerly awaited the arrival of its sequel Wicked: For Good, Wicked racked up an impressive four Golden Globe nominations. Cynthia Eric’s portrayal of Elphaba saw her nominated for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Motion Picture, while Ariana Grande was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.

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However, neither actor went home with the award. Demi Moore won Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Motion Picture for The Substance, while Zoe Saldana’s turn in Emilia Perez earned her a Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture win. This wasn’t the end of the movie’s disappointments at the Golden Globes, as Wicked was also nominated for Best Musical Or Comedy Motion Picture but lost to Emilia Perez. The lone award that Wicked won was Cinematic And Box Office Achievement, where it faced stiff competition from the likes of Alien: Romulus, Twisters, Gladiator II, and Inside Out 2.

Wicked Won The Golden Globe For Cinematic & Box Office Achievement

Wicked’s Sole Golden Globes Win Was For Its Box Office Success

Wicked’s only Golden Globe win was Cinematic And Box Office Achievement, which seems striking considering the movie’s box office success wasn’t the most notable thing about it. Grande and Eric’s performances both earned significant praise and, although Demi Moore’s fearless The Substance turn was arguably Oscar-worthy, the musical still seemed likely to earn at least one acting award. Failing that, Best Musical Or Comedy Motion Picture seemed like a surefire bet for Wicked. Wicked’s 88% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes proves the musical was a more straightforward critical hit than the divisive Emilia Perez, which earned only 76% from reviewers.

Furthermore, Wicked’s success made the musical a hot commodity in Hollywood once again, while Emilia Peres’s Netflix release meant its reception was much more muted. There was no denying that Wicked was everywhere in late 2024 and, while an award for Cinematic And Box Office Achievement technically acknowledges one element of this success, it doesn’t reflect the movie’s status as a critical darling. What was notable about Wicked was its ability to blend crowd-pleasing mainstream blockbuster fare with awards-worthy performances and critically acclaimed writing, something Emilia Perez undeniably failed to replicate on the same scale and to the same universal acclaim.

Wicked’s Golden Globes Win Is Confusing Based On The 2024 Box Office

Wicked Wasn’t Even The Year’s Biggest Box Office Hit

Moreover, despite Wicked’s impressive box office performance comfortably defeating its competitor Gladiator II, it wasn’t even the biggest hit of 2024. Wicked earned an undeniably impressive $680 million at the box office, becoming the sixth-biggest movie of 2024. This was an impressive achievement for any movie and all the more notable since it was the first in a new franchise rather than a sequel or reboot. However, Wicked was still a re-imagining of The Wizard of Oz, and it was beaten at the box office by five other movies. To make things stranger, some of these weren’t nominated.

Despicable Me 4, Moana 2, and Dune: Part Two all earned more than Wicked, but none of them were nominated for the Cinematic And Box Office Achievement award that Wicked took home. One could argue that sequels to animated children’s movies faring well at the box office were not notable enough to warrant an award, but then Pixar’s Inside Out 2 shouldn’t have been nominated. If the awards were measured on sheer numbers alone, Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine were both bigger hits among the nominees. However, despite Inside Out 2 setting box office records, the award went to Wicked.

The Golden Globes Seemingly Rewarded Wicked For Popularity Over Box Office

Wicked’s Critical Popularity Seemingly Influenced Its Win But Didn’t Lead To More Awards

Wicked might not have the biggest box office gross of all the nominees for Cinematic And Box Office Achievement, but it was definitely one of the most popular films of the year among both critics and viewers alike. This was also the case for Barbie in 2023, which won in the same category. The problem is that Barbie was also the biggest film of the year at the box office, so its success made sense. Wicked’s win is harder to justify.

If Wicked had any award seemingly guaranteed, it was Best Musical Or Comedy Motion Picture. However, this instead went to a Netflix release that left critics divided and made few waves among viewers. Wicked’s popularity seemingly earned the movie a Golden Globe for Cinematic And Box Office Achievement, but the movie’s box office success was far from its most notable attribute. As such, it is hard not to feel like Wicked’s performance at the Golden Globes was confused and confusing after the movie’s initial success when it came to nominations.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Release Date

November 22, 2024

Runtime

160 Minutes

Cast

Cynthia Erivo
, Ariana Grande
, Michelle Yeoh
, Jeff Goldblum
, Jonathan Bailey
, Ethan Slater
, Marissa Bode
, Bowen Yang
, Bronwyn James
, Keala Settle
, Peter Dinklage
, Aaron Teoh
, Grecia De la Paz
, Colin Michael Carmichael
, Adam James
, Andy Nyman
, Courtney Mae-Briggs
, Sharon D. Clarke
, Jenna Boyd

Director

Jon M. Chu

Writers

Gregory Maguire
, Winnie Holzman
, Dana Fox
, L. Frank Baum

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