It’s starting to become clear that genre TV and movies need their own stage to shine. Sure, there are the Oscars and the Emmys, but they have all sections of the medium competing with each other. Genre pictures like Everything Everywhere All At Once can take home the top prize, but it’s become a very occasional occurrence. But an unlikely hero is emerging that may give the subgenre the dedicated award — and awards show — it deserves.
Efforts to previously acknowledge genre-specific filmmaking have proven disastrous in the past. In 2022, the Oscars introduced two new categories: Fan Favorite and “Cheerworthy Moment,” which bafflingly included moments from decades-old movies like Dreamgirls and The Matrix. Unsurprisingly, because both these awards were decided through social media voting by the public, Zack Snyder (and his rabid fanbase) walked away with both, leaving Oscar viewers wondering what “The Flash Entering the Speed Force” actually meant.
But there’s a new contender in the race to find a “blockbuster” awards category: The Golden Globes. The awards show for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has had a tumultuous few years, from sexual assault allegations to accusations of bribery. Now, the awards are finally being televised again and are looking for a reinvention.
That’s coming in the form of a new category: “Cinematic and Box Office Achievement,” an award for movies that have done well in terms of sheer numbers. This year, the nominees are Barbie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, John Wick Chapter 4, Oppenheimer, Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, and Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse.
This was met with some criticism. After all, isn’t the box-office success enough of a reward? But it’s the first true acknowledgment that industry professionals can recognize in an age of streaming, success in theaters is something that’s become a goal of its own. The Academy Awards considered doing something similar with an award for “Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film,” but the idea was eschewed for the fan-voted categories.
Maybe this new decision will reinvent the Golden Globes as the genre-friendly awards show, or even prove that separating blockbusters from the pack isn’t kowtowing to the big fandom. At the very least, it’s a recognition that genre goes beyond “drama” and “musical or comedy.”
