Universal brings another huge boost to musicals Evil won best picture and best box office at the 2025 Golden Globes after wowing audiences around the world over the year-end holiday season. It is only the second time the award has been presented to ensure more populist films are recognized.

Evil“The Movie,” from director Jon M. Chu and veteran Hollywood producer Marc Platt, has broken numerous records since its debut on Thanksgiving and is a major success for top Universal and NBCUniversal executive Donna Langley. As of Sunday, it has grossed $644 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Broadway musical adaptation of all time following its cancellation Mama Mia!. The company had previously reached the same milestone domestically, where it earned $432 million to date.

Appropriately, Vin Diesel from Fast and Furious Fame was tasked with announcing the winner on Sunday night’s telecast. He noted that while as a young actor he had the privilege of working with writers like Steven Spielberg and Sydney Lumet, “I was also lucky enough to be part of something else called blockbusters: the films that break boundaries and unite.” People worldwide. When these films work, they remind us that we are all a family sharing a common experience,” he said. “When the Golden Globe created this award and asked me to present it, I had one thought: ‘It’s about time.'”

Enter the stage to accept the award with Chu Evil Featuring stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum, Platt said he has hundreds to thank: “We all joyfully traveled down the yellow brick road with our director Jon M. Chu.”

Chu took the microphone and said his parents “came to this country and they loved it The Wizard of Oz.” He said the film’s success shows the importance of making films at a time “when pessimism and negativism rule the planet…we can still make art that is a radical act of optimism.”

Evil was also nominated for best motion picture for a musical or comedy, but that award went to Netflix Emilia Perez.

Last year, Barbie – the highest-grossing film of 2023 – won the first film performance and box office awards.

Wicked had some massive competition considering it was Pixar Inside Out 2 and Marvels Deadpool and Wolverineboth from Disney’s film empire, grossed over $1 billion at the global box office, making them the highest-grossing animated film of all time and the highest-earning R-rated film of all time, respectively. Inside Out 2 is at $1.69 billion, followed by Dead Pool threequel with $1.34 billion.

Other films competing for the award included Disney/20th Century Alien: Romulus ($350.9 million), Warner Bros.’ Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ($451.1 million), Paramount’s Gladiator II ($435.2 million to date), Universal’s Twister ($371 million) and DreamWorks Animation’s The wild robot ($324.3 million). All gross receipts listed are global.

The Golden Globes introduced the new award several years after the Academy Awards proposed a new category that would recognize more commercial fare after years of declining ratings, as smaller specialty fare often won the Oscar for best picture. However, the proposal was almost immediately scrapped over fears that it would somehow send the message that blockbusters were second-class citizens at the box office and did not deserve to be considered for top honors.

Sources say Warners and Legendary have not filed Dune: Part IIanother highest-grossing film of 2024, was nominated for the 2025 Golden Globe Film and Box Office Achievement Award for similar reasons (it received a nomination for Best Picture, Best Drama instead).

To qualify for the Film and Box Office Performance Award, a feature film had to reach the $150 million mark at the global box office, with at least $100 million domestically. Alternatively, a streaming film could be considered if it achieves an equivalent digital streaming viewership recognized by trusted industry sources, the Globes said when it first announced the category in fall 2023. This year, the Globes partnered with data company Luminate, a joint venture between PMC and Eldridge Luminate provided streaming viewership data for all submitted films in the theatrical and box office category, with analysis through the product ” Streaming Viewership” from Luminate took place.

Golden Globes producer Dick Clark Productions is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge, which also includes Penske Media Eldridge The Hollywood Reporter.

The 2025 Golden Globes, hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser, took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday evening. The full list of winners can be found here.