AlthoughWickeddid win one Golden Globe, the blockbuster’s lone success of the night was arguably the nomination that made the least sense.Wickedfared well when the nominations for 2025’s Golden Globes were announced. As fans across the world eagerly awaited the arrival of its sequelWicked: For Good,Wickedracked up an impressive four Golden Globe nominations.Cynthia Eric’s portrayal of Elphabasaw 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.
This Minor Detail In Wicked Reveals Another Layer Of The Animals Storyline
While Wicked doesn’t devote a lot of focus to the plight of Oz’s Animals, one early bit of foreshadowing hints at the depths of their oppression.
However, neither actor went home with the award. Demi Moore won Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Motion Picture forThe Substance, while Zoe Saldana’s turn inEmilia Perezearned her a Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture win. This wasn’t the end of the movie’s disappointments at the Golden Globes, asWickedwas also nominated for Best Musical Or Comedy Motion Picture but lost toEmilia Perez. The lone award thatWickedwon was Cinematic And Box Office Achievement, where it faced stiff competition from the likes ofAlien: Romulus,Twisters, Gladiator II, andInside 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, althoughDemi Moore’s fearlessThe Substanceturnwas 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 forWicked.Wicked’s 88% critical rating onRotten Tomatoesproves the musical was a more straightforward critical hit than the divisiveEmilia Perez, which earned only 76% from reviewers.
Furthermore,Wicked’s success made the musical a hot commodity in Hollywood once again, whileEmilia Peres’s Netflix release meant its reception was much more muted. There was no denying thatWickedwas 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 aboutWickedwas its ability to blend crowd-pleasing mainstream blockbuster fare with awards-worthy performances and critically acclaimed writing, somethingEmilia Perezundeniably 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, despiteWicked’s impressive box office performancecomfortably defeating its competitorGladiator II, it wasn’t even the biggest hit of 2024.Wickedearned 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,Wickedwas still a re-imagining ofThe 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.
Highest-Grossing Movies of 2024
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
$451 million
Despicable Me 4,Moana 2, andDune: Part Twoall earned more thanWicked, but none of them were nominated for the Cinematic And Box Office Achievement award thatWickedtook 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’sInside Out 2shouldn’t have been nominated. If the awards were measured on sheer numbers alone,Inside Out 2andDeadpool & Wolverinewere both bigger hits among the nominees. However, despiteInside Out 2setting box office records, the award went toWicked.
The Golden Globes Seemingly Rewarded Wicked For Popularity Over Box Office
Wickedmight 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 forBarbiein 2023, which won in the same category. The problem is thatBarbiewas also the biggest film of the year at the box office, so its success made sense.Wicked’s win is harder to justify.
it is hard not to feel likeWicked’s performance at the Golden Globes was confused and confusing.
IfWickedhad 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 likeWicked’s performance at the Golden Globes was confused and confusing after the movie’s initial success when it came to nominations.
