Catapulting musicals to new heights, Universal's "Wicked" secured the prestigious award for Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement at the 2025 Golden Globes, following its mesmerizing global audience engagement during the year-end festive season. This honor marks only the second occasion it has been bestowed, reflecting a concerted effort to acknowledge more populist films.
Directed by the talented Jon M. Chu and produced by seasoned Hollywood veteran Marc Platt, "Wicked" has shattered numerous records since its Thanksgiving debut. This triumph stands as a monumental victory for Donna Langley, a top executive at Universal and NBCUniversal. As of Sunday, the film has amassed $644 million worldwide, surpassing "Mamma Mia!" to become the highest-grossing Broadway musical adaptation ever. Domestically, it has already achieved this milestone, raking in $432 million to date.
In a fitting gesture, Vin Diesel, renowned for his roles in the "Fast & Furious" saga, was entrusted with announcing the winner during Sunday night's telecast. He shared that while he had the honor of collaborating with auteurs like Steven Spielberg and Sydney Lumet early in his career, "I've also been fortunate to be part of something else: the blockbuster—movies that transcend borders and unite people globally. When these films resonate, they remind us that we are all one family sharing a collective experience." He added, "So, when the Golden Globe introduced this award and asked me to present it, I thought, 'It's about time.'"
Ascending the stage to accept the award alongside Chu and "Wicked" stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum, Platt expressed his gratitude to countless individuals, stating, "We all joyfully embarked on this yellow brick road with our director, Jon M. Chu."
Chu, seizing the microphone, revealed that his parents "immigrated to this country and cherished 'The Wizard of Oz.'" He emphasized that the film's success underscores the significance of creating movies in an era "dominated by pessimism and negativism … proving that we can still craft art that embodies a radical act of optimism."
While "Wicked" was also nominated for Best Picture in the Musical or Comedy category, the honor ultimately went to Netflix's "Emilia Pérez."
In the previous year, Barbie emerged as the highest-grossing film of 2023, crowning itself with victory at the inaugural cinematic achievement and box office award ceremony. Wicked faced fierce competition, especially considering the remarkable box office successes of Inside Out 2 from Pixar and Deadpool & Wolverine from Marvel, both belonging to Disney's film empire. Inside Out 2 amassed a staggering $1.69 billion globally, securing its position as the all-time top-grossing animated film, while Deadpool & Wolverine, with $1.34 billion, became the highest-earning R-rated movie ever.
Other contenders for the prestigious award included Disney/20th Century's Alien: Romulus, which raked in $350.9 million; Warner Bros.' Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, with $451.1 million; Paramount's Gladiator II, standing at $435.2 million to date; Universal's Twisters, grossing $371 million; and DreamWorks Animation's The Wild Robot, which garnered $324.3 million. Notably, all these figures represent global earnings.
Years after the Academy Awards floated the idea of introducing a new category to recognize more commercial films, amid concerns over declining ratings and smaller specialty fare often winning the Best Picture Oscar, the Golden Globes unveiled this innovative award. However, the Academy's proposal was swiftly abandoned, fearing it might imply that box office blockbusters were second-tier and unworthy of top honors.
It is rumored that Warners and Legendary refrained from submitting Dune: Part II, another box office hit of 2024, for the 2025 Golden Globes' cinematic and box office achievement award due to similar concerns (instead, it secured a nomination for Best Drama Motion Picture).
To be eligible for the cinematic and box office achievement award, a film needed to surpass the $150 million mark globally, with at least $100 million domestically. Alternatively, a streaming movie could qualify if it garnered substantial digital streaming viewership recognized by reputable industry sources, as announced by the Globes in the fall of 2023. This year, the Globes collaborated with Luminate, a joint venture between PMC and Eldridge, to provide streaming viewership data for all submitted films in this category. The analysis was conducted using Luminate's Streaming Viewership product, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of each contender's performance.
