So, did Wicked have Golden Globes thrust upon it?
Since it premiered in November, Jon M. Chu's film adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical, a The Wizard of Oz prequel starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande has been a force to be reckoned with. Wicked has made a killing at the box office, raking in over $600 million globally and earning the distinction of becoming the highest grossing film based on a Broadway musical of all time. The film has also racked up a bevy of nominations and awards from critics' groups, including the National Board of Review award for best film. But on Sunday, January 5th, Wicked faced its first major test of award season at the Golden Globes, going up against stiff competition from films like Anora and Emilia Pérez.
Wicked flew into the Golden Globes with four nominations: best supporting actress for Grande; best actress in a musical or comedy for Erivo; best picture, musical or comedy; and cinematic and box office achievement. While it's an impressive haul, it's less than half the total nominations of another Oscar front runner and musical—Emilia Pérez, which led the Globes with 10 nominations. Pérez's impressive nomination haul was helped in part by its two best song nominations—a category Wicked is ineligible for, as its original songs will appear in the second film, Wicked: For Good, next year. Nevertheless, Chu couldn't crack the six nominees for best director at the Globes, which might indicate how the Golden Globes Foundation—the new voting body for the awards, which took over for the disbanded Hollywood Foreign Press Association—feels about the film.
Just as VF predicted it would, Wicked reigned supreme in the two-year-old cinematic and box office achievement category over titles like Deadpool and Wolverine, Inside Out 2, and Gladiator II. Chu accepted the award on behalf of the film, with a passionate speech about Wicked's inspiring message. "In a time where pessimism and cynicism rule the planet, we can still make art that is a radical act of optimism," said Chu. “That is empowerment and that is joy.”
Grande received her first ever Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Galinda Upland, the “popular” future good witch of Oz. She was not the only child star turned pop star nominee in her category, joined by Selena Gomez for Emilia Pérez. The category was rounded out by Felicity Jones for The Brutalist; Margaret Qualley for The Substance; Isabella Rossellini for Conclave; and Zoe Saldaña for Emilia Pérez. Attending the ceremony with her Wicked co-star and beau Ethan Slater, Grande was all smiles during the ceremony as host Nikki Glaser joked about the wild Wicked press tour in her opening monologue, asking Grande to hold her pinky. Ultimately, Saldaña took home the best supporting actress trophy for playing defense attorney Rita in Emilia Pérez.
Erivo received her fourth career Globe nomination for her role as Elphaba, the green-skinned rabble-rouser and future wicked witch of the west. She was up against Golden Globe winner Amy Adams for Night Bitch; Karla Sofía Gascón for Emilia Pérez; Mikey Madison for Anora; Demi Moore and The Substance; and Zendaya for Challengers. But Erivo was not able to defy gravity at the Globes, with Moore taking home the trophy for best actress in a musical or comedy in a nail biter of a category.
The magic of Wicked wound up being no match for Emilia Pérez, which took home the award for best musical or comedy as well as best international feature. The Globes’ reticence to reward Wicked may be due to the fact that the awards will have another chance to recognize the project next year, when Wicked: For Good hits theaters, on November 25, 2025.
As for Wicked's Oscar hopes, there's still plenty of game left to be played. While sometimes seen as a bellwether for the Oscars, the voters for the Golden Globes actually have very little overlap with the Academy and its voting body—so goodness knows whether Grande or Erivo will hear their names called when the 2025 Oscar nominations are announced on January 17.
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