Globes washout could hurt box office

By Steven Zeitchik

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - A watered-down Golden Globes could threaten the box office and Oscar prospects for nominated movies now that millions of viewers won't get to watch the traditional awards ceremony next Sunday.

The 65th annual Globes ceremony and telecast were canceled Monday, a victim of the Hollywood writers strike. The Screen Actors Guild had said last week that its members were boycotting the event in solidarity with union scribes, which would have been ruinous for the ceremony. A news conference will take place instead.

The game of hardball that NBC and the Writers Guild of America have played in the Globes kerfuffle could become the template for how ABC and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences respond to the guild over the Oscar telecast.

So far, both ABC and the Academy have not said how they will approach the February 24 Oscar ceremony, though the announcement of the Oscar nominations on January 22 might force their hands.

"They can't be silent much longer," said one studio executive.

Meanwhile, the immediate effect of a scaled-back Globes presentation began to sink in around town.

An appearance on the Globes telecast -- which is traditionally watched by 20 million viewers in the United States -- tends to thrust a movie into the spotlight, bolstering its chances for more box office and possibly even Oscars.

"Getting on the Golden Globes is critical to getting a movie business," said veteran Oscar strategist and PR maven Tony Angelotti.

While it's impossible to know which pictures will feel the pinch, movies like "Sweeney Todd" and "The Great Debaters" were cited around town as films that could have used the Globes for extra octane; the December releases are still in theaters with respective sales of $38 million and $22 million.

DreamWorks spokesman Marvin Levy noted that "Sweeney Todd," for instance, would normally get a lot of "free shots" as cameras spotlighted talent associated with its nominations in major categories, as well as clips from the film.

And while ballots for Oscar nominations are due January 12, the day before the Globes telecast, the lack of exposure for any given nominee on the show could have a trickle-down effect on the next round of voting, which takes place between January 30 and February 19.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter