took home four awards at the Golden Globes — the most of any movie at the ceremony — while The Brutalist took home three in a close second place. The Brutalist is a sobering historical epic about a Holocaust survivor pursuing the American Dream after enduring tragedy, while Emilia Pérez is a musical crime caper about a Mexican cartel boss seeking gender transition.
The Globes separate their categories into “Drama” and “Musical or Comedy.” The Brutalist swept the Drama categories, including Best Actor and Best Director, while Emilia Pérez swept the Musical or Comedy categories, including Best ing Actress and Best Original Song. They were the only two movies to win in multiple categories. Both took home Best Motion Picture in their respective categories, which is usually a good indicator of how the Academy will vote for Best Picture at the Oscars. The Globe wins prime them both for Oscar success, but which movie is in a better position to win Best Picture?
The Brutalist's Golden Globes Win Is Bigger For The 2025 Oscars Than Emilia Pérez's
The Academy Favors Drama Over Musical Or Comedy
Historically, The Brutalist’s big win at the Golden Globes puts it in a better position to win Best Picture at the Oscars than Emilia Pérez. The delineation of Drama and Musical or Comedy hasn’t always existed in the Golden Globes, but since that system came into place, the Academy has favored the Drama winner much more than the Musical or Comedy winner. The Globes’ Drama winner has matched the Oscars’ Best Picture winner 40 out of 81 times, while the Musical or Comedy winner has only matched Best Picture 11 out of 72 times.
The Globes’ Drama winner has matched the Oscars’ Best Picture winner 40 out of 81 times, while the Musical or Comedy winner has only matched Best Picture 11 out of 72 times.
The Academy has always had a distinct bias against comedic fare. There are exceptions, of course, when the Oscars have awarded comedies: Birdman won Best Picture; Emma Stone won Best Actress for Poor Things; Mel Brooks won Best Original Screenplay for The Producers. But the Academy has always favored grim dramatic work like The Brutalist over quirkier, funnier movies like Emilia Pérez. The Academy has a long-standing history of awarding movies that deal with the horrific history of the Holocaust, which doesn’t bode well for Emilia Pérez’s race against The Brutalist.
The Brutalist & Emilia Pérez's Chances Of Winning An Oscar Are Better After The Golden Globes
They're Both Frontrunners In Several Categories
The Brutalist’s Adrien Brody is much more likely to win Best Actor at the Oscars after winning in that category at the Globes. Similarly, its director Brady Corbet has gotten a bump in his Oscar chances for Best Director after taking home that award at the Globes. Emilia Pérez’s Zoe Saldaña is looking likely to win Best ing Actress at the Oscars after winning in that category at the Globes.
Golden Globes 2025: 8 Biggest Snubs & Surprises
The 82nd Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 5, 2025, had several major surprises and a few clear snubs.
Emilia Pérez could repeat its Golden Globe wins of Best International Feature and Best Original Song at the Oscars, because it’s easily the most popular contender in either of those categories. If the two films do indeed sweep these categories, then it could help to build a case for either to win Best Picture. However, the Academy could view Best International Feature as a consolation prize for Emilia Pérez and give Best Picture to The Brutalist instead, similar to what happened with The Zone of Interest last year.
The Brutalist & Emilia Pérez Could Both Still Struggle To Actually Win Best Picture At The 2025 Oscars
There's The Preferential Ballot To Consider With Best Picture
The Golden Globes can sometimes indicate which film will win the top prize at the Oscars, but it’s not always the case. In 2024, the Best Picture winner at the Oscars, Oppenheimer, lined up with the Golden Globes’ Best Motion Picture – Drama winner. But 2023’s Best Picture winner, Everything Everywhere All at Once, didn’t line up with either of the Golden Globe winners, The Fabelmans and The Banshees of Inisherin. 2022’s Best Picture winner, CODA, didn’t line up with either of the Golden Globe winners, The Power of the Dog and West Side Story.
With 10 nominations, Emilia Pérez is the most nominated comedy or musical film in Golden Globes history.
When it comes to the Academy Award for Best Picture, there’s the preferential ballot to consider. It all depends on which movies the Academy voters personally preferred. The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez are both films that might not click with voters and wind up at the lower end of their ballots, leaving more favorable films like Anora or Conclave to potentially rise. The winners at the Golden Globes are a good indication of which way the Oscar voters will sway, but it’s not a definitive prediction by any means.
