When the Golden Globe nominations were announced yesterday, part of the big story surrounding decisions made by the Hollywood Foreign Press had to do withDune: Part Two. Sure, the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Drama and Hans Zimmer earned a nod for Best Original Score, but filmmaker Denis Villeneuve missed out in the directing category (more on that later) and the movie was noticeably absent from the recent and controversial category addition, Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement – despite being one of the highest-grossing films of the year at the global box office. It was a true head-scratcher, but it looks like there was a reason thatDune: Part Twowas left out of the category.
According to a voting member of the Golden Globes, Portuguese film criticCláudio Alves, the sci-fi film wasn’t nominated in the category because it simply wasn’t submitted. In a post on X, Alves said,“Sadly, we could only vote for the films submitted by their distributors in that category. And only 16 films were actually submitted. NeitherLONGLEGS,THE SUBSTANCE, orTERRIFIER 3, or evenDUNE: Part TWO, were up for consideration. I don’t know why, tbh.”
WhileLonglegs,The Substance,andTerrifier 3were box office hits, they wouldn’t be under consideration for the category because their domestic grosses weren’t substantial enough to qualify, with each of those three films earning $74 million, $16 million, and $52 million, respectively.Dune: Part Twogrossed $282.1 million at the domestic box office, so it would be eligible under the rules, but if Warner Bros. didn’t submit it, then the industry has its answer. One could speculate as to why they didn’t, and it could be because the studio has a history with the new award and wanted to make sure its best offering was looked at beyond its box office achievement.
Warner Bros. Has Won the Golden Globe for Box Office Achievement Before
When the category was introduced for the 2023 ceremony, Warner Bros.' box office behemothBarbiewon the award thanks to its staggering $636.2 million domestic gross. That being said, it lost out on the other major awards it was up for, and since the inclusion of the box office achievement category was met with a mixed response from many in the industry, perhaps Warner Bros. didn’t want to run the risk of being included on the list again. However, the studio did submit Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and maybe it seesDune: Part Twoas a more prestige offering that had a better shot at securing more significant nominations at the Golden Globes. Whatever the reason, it appears the decision came down to Warner Bros.
A 4-Month Delay Is Changing How We Remember ‘Dune: Part Two’
As award season rolls in, Denis Villeneuve’s directing has already been snubbed for ‘Dune: Part Two.’
According to the rules, a movie has to gross more than $150 million, and a minimum of $100 million of that has to come from the domestic front. 20 films released in 2024 hit that mark andDune: Part Twowas certainly one of them. In addition to the impressive domestic performance, the Villeneuve film went on to gross more than $700 million worldwide, outpacing the previous movie on all fronts – although that film had to deal with the pandemic and a day-and-date release on Max.
The category was clearly added to appeal to moviegoers who seek out fewer awards season prestige films and more crowd-pleasing favorites. It’s an obvious attempt to boost ratings for the telecast, with the award said to recognize"The year’s most acclaimed, highest-earning and/or most viewed films that have garnered extensive global audience support and attained cinematic excellence.“Looking at the nominees this year, it clearly appeals to popcorn flicks withAlien: Romulus,Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,Deadpool and Wolverine,Gladiator II,Inside Out 2,Twisters,WickedandThe Wild Robotall earning nods. That’s not to say it’s bad to be a crowd-pleasing film, since all of these releases helped drive business to movie theaters, but it should be called what it is: not a measure of excellence in film and more about how much money the movie pulled in.
The most glaring omission forDune: Part Twois not this silly box office achievement award, but director Denis Villeneuvenot being recognizedfor his superb direction of the film. Somehow, it looks like the awards season voting bodies are forgetting his work here, which is some of the best of the year. Maybe it’s because it was released too early in the year, or there is some kind of stigma against genre films at these ceremonies, butDune: Part Twoshould be Villeneuve’sReturn of the Kingand that’s the omission everyone should be paying the most attention to.
Dune: Part Two
