LOS ANGELES — Wicked, Conclave, Anora and The Brutalist are a few of the films expected to pick up Golden Globe nominations, which are announced on Monday.
It is the first major film ceremony to announce its shortlists, and will offer some clues as to how the awards race is shaping up.
In a year with several strong contenders, there is currently no consensus on what will ultimately win best picture at the Oscars on 2 March.
The Golden Globe nominations will be announced by US actors Mindy Kaling and Morris Chestnut on Monday from around 13:15 GMT.
Although the Globes are the first big milestone of awards season, smaller precursor events such as the Gotham Awards, the British Independent Film Awards, and various critics’ ceremonies have been taking place in recent weeks.
Unlike the Baftas and Oscars, the Globes split their awards by genre, with films competing either in the drama or comedy and musical categories. They also have six slots available in each acting category.
That means the Globes are able to nominate 36 acting performances in total, compared with the 20 at the Oscars, allowing them to spread the wealth and more easily avoid the perception of snubs.
This year’s Golden Globes will take place in Los Angeles on 5 January.
Unlike last year, when Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer steamrolled its way through awards season, there are several films expected to have a decent shot at the top prize, making for a more exciting and unpredictable race.
The contenders include Anora, the story of a New York stripper who falls for the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch.
Similarly acclaimed by critics, The Brutalist follows a Hungarian architect who tries to build a new life for himself in America following World War Two.
Conclave, based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris, depicts a group of gossipy and scheming cardinals who gather in Rome to select the new Pope.
There are several blockbusters competing too. Musical adaptation Wicked, sci-fi sequel Dune: Part Two and historical epic Gladiator II could all make waves this season, thanks in part to their huge box office success.
Sing Sing, about a group of inmates at a US prison who take part in a performing arts programme, and musical Emilia Pérez, about a Mexican drug lord who changes gender, are also in the running.
Other hotly tipped films include September 5, a re-telling of the terror attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics, A Real Pain, which follows two cousins dealing with familial grief, and Nickel Boys, about two friends in a reform school in 1960s Florida.
Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, assisted dying drama The Room Next Door, World War Two film Blitz, body horror The Substance, and the gothic vampire remake Nosferatu could also show up.
Babygirl, an erotic drama about an age-gap affair, I’m Still Here, about the disappearance of a Brazilian congressman, and the psychedelic 1950s romance Queer could also squeak in.
And there could be room for dystopian drama Civil War, tennis love triangle Challengers, animated adventure The Wild Robot, and Saturday Night, which goes behind the scenes of a live variety show.
Comeback narratives are strong in the best actress category this year, with Demi Moore (The Substance), Angelina Jolie (Maria) and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) all expected to return to the awards conversation.
But they face competition from Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez), Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), and a breakout performance from relative newcomer Mikey Madison (Anora).
Other likely contenders are Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here) Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door), Nicole Kidman (Babygirl), Lily-Rose Depp (Nosferatu) and Saoirse Ronan (The Outrun).
In best actor, the frontrunners include Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) and Colman Domingo (Sing Sing).
They could be joined by Hollywood A-listers Daniel Craig (Queer) and Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown).
Elsewhere, Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain) and John David Washington (The Piano Lesson) could show up, while Sebastian Stan has two possibilities for a nomination (A Different Man and The Apprentice).
Supporting actors likely to be considered include Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) Denzel Washington (Gladiator II), Guy Pearce (The Brutalist), Yura Borisov (Anora), Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) and Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing).
Supporting actress, meanwhile, could see nominations for Ariana Grande (Wicked), Isabella Rossellini (Conclave), Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson) and Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez (both Emilia Pérez).
But it’s a crowded category, with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Nickel Boys), Saoirse Ronan (Blitz), Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Natasha Lyonne (His Three Daughters) and Felicity Jones (The Brutalist) also in contention.
The Globes also have a tendency to lean in to big celebrity names, which means some stars who are perhaps slightly less likely to be in the Oscars race still have a strong chance of showing up here.
They include Hugh Grant (Heretic), Glen Powell (Hit Man), Kate Winslet (Lee), Paul Mescal (Gladiator II), Amy Adams (Nightbitch) and Zendaya (Challengers).
Unlike some other awards ceremonies, the Golden Globes also have television categories in addition to film.
This year, that could mean nominations for dramas and limited series such as Baby Reindeer, Shogun, The Penguin, Ripley, Slow Horses and Mr & Mrs Smith.
Comedies which could get a look-in include Nobody Wants This, Hacks, The Bear, Only Murders in the Building and Abbott Elementary.
The Golden Globes have been controversial in recent years, but they are also one of the the most fun ceremonies of awards season.
Fresh from the Christmas holidays, the celebrities are usually in a good mood, ready to mingle over a few drinks and likely to have some fun with their acceptance speeches.
The Globes also tend to book an acerbic host to make cutting jokes about the A-list guests. This year, that job falls to US comic Nikki Glaser – a terrific choice if her recent appearance on The Roast of Tom Brady is anything to go by.
But the body which used to be behind the Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, was criticised in 2021 for corruption and a lack of diversity in its voting body.
The group was accused of accepting “freebies” in exchange for nominations and other ethical lapses.
The Globes held a dramatically pared-down ceremony the following year, which was not even televised, as the organisation got its house in order.
The body expanded and diversified its membership and implemented a new code of conduct, including a ban on gifts and new rules on members accepting travel and other perks. The group’s name was changed to The Golden Globe Foundation.
After a year in Hollywood’s doghouse, the industry broadly endorsed the reforms and stars returned to the event in 2023. US network CBS has since signed a new five-year deal to keep broadcasting the Globes.
The Golden Globe winners don’t necessarily always match up with the Oscars, but they can be a good indicator of support for a film, and a well-received acceptance speech can help give an awards campaign momentum as Oscar voters are considering their options. — BBC
