The 83rd Golden Globes took place on Sunday, January 11, and there’s a lot of talk to make sense of, so here is your guide to the 2026 award season.

With the constant flood of media, award seasons can blend, and it can be hard to dissect what they mean to viewers. The first significant distinction is the Golden Globes award both television series and films. Nominations and winners are decided by journalists, and a win is an industry and media achievement. The Oscars are strictly for film; votes are cast by film professionals, and they honor prestigious craft and artistic achievement. While both significant achievements, many look at the Golden Globes as setting the stage for the Oscars, so what was revealed?

50 movies were nominated for both the Golden Globes and the Oscars, with a few titles standing out in the media. Hamnet and One Battle After Another are definitely the talk of the film season and have been highly praised by critics. Still, awards and industry recognition don’t always align with box office success, especially when genre and audience differ.

One Battle After Another is a thrilling action with a story of rebellion and rescue. In contrast, Hamnet is a tragic tale of grief and perseverance in 16th-century England, based on Maggie O’Farrell’s novel. In the box office, One Battle after Another made more than half of what Hamnet made and reached a much wider audience. However, this is typical when comparing a drama to a big-studio thriller.

Hamnet attracted the attention of festivals and theatre lovers and was highly rated among its audience. It was nominated 278 times, with 60 wins thus far. At the Golden Globes, it won Best Motion Picture Drama. Jesse Buckley was awarded Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture, and she is also up for an Oscar, with impressive competitors such as Kate Hudson and Emma Stone.

One Battle After Another has a much broader audience and was the frontrunner of the Golden Globes with 4 awards, including Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy, and Teyana Taylor for Best Supporting Actress. Paul Thomas Anderson received both Best Director and Best Screenplay after numerous years without wins in his Oscar nominations; this success is definitely a hopeful sign.

When we look past the frontrunners, many films were overlooked at the Golden Globes. 5 Oscar nominated films had zero Golden Globe wins, including Blue Moon and Train Dreams. Sinners did have wins, but they were less significant than their Oscar nominations. With 16 Oscar nominations, Sinners broke records and had monumental achievements at the box office, leaving many shocked when Coogler didn’t win the expected Script Honors. Despite Sinners having more box office success than One Battle After Another, the Industry rewarded One Battle After Another over a possible fan favorite.

Similarly, this divide between industry recognition and audience enthusiasm was seen with Marty Supreme. Known for its marketing success, Marty Supreme follows a passionate, bumpy pursuit of greatness for a young table tennis player. Letterboxd, an app that collects reviews and ratings, revealed that Marty Supreme was the highest-rated Oscar-nominated film among users, with a nearly perfect score. Thankfully, fans can rest assured now that Timothée Chalamet won Best Actor. This win was huge, given Chalamet’s record-breaking age and esteemed competition, such as DiCaprio and Hawke.

There is one film that fans and critics alike agree on, and it’s Wicked for Good. Despite the success of Wicked, its sequel was considered a flop, garnering no Golden Globe wins or Oscar nominations. Reviews claim the film lacked depth and felt rushed in both plot and visuals. While the first film was very successful, it set the bar too high for its own sequel.

When looking at the Oscars and forming a personal watch list, expect to hear the familiar One Battle After Another and Hamnet hype, with some more light shed on Sinners. If you prefer a more dramatic and artistic film, try Frankenstein or Bugonia, both twisted psychological thrillers nominated for Best Picture. Or, if you prefer a more personal and emotional film, Sentimental Value and Marty Supreme are both emotionally complex family dramas with fast-paced plots and nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.

Whether you have an opinion on film or not, the award season can be a perfect opportunity to draw a personal experience from all of the media buzz. With the wide range of genres and opinions there is sure to be a film for you that is worth watching.