Golden Globes 2026: Paul Thomas Anderson's Film Leads Nominations

The nominations for the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards were unveiled Monday morning, setting the stage for what promises to be one of the most competitive awards seasons in recent memory. Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another dominated the film categories with an impressive nine nominations, while HBO's The White Lotus led the television field with six nods.

The announcements, presented by actors Marlon Wayans and Skye P. Marshall from Los Angeles, introduced 28 award categories spanning film, television, and—for the first time—podcasting. The ceremony will take place on January 11, 2026, with comedian Nikki Glaser returning as host for her second consecutive year.

Paul Thomas Anderson's Vision Captures Awards Attention

One Battle After Another, described by Variety as "a blisteringly funny look at a repressive society riven by political violence," emerged as the clear frontrunner in the film categories. The Warner Bros. release earned nominations across multiple categories, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, with Anderson himself receiving nods for Best Director and Best Screenplay.

The film's ensemble cast was equally recognized, with Leonardo DiCaprio nominated for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, Chase Infiniti for Best Actress in the same category, and supporting nominations for Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, and Teyana Taylor. Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood rounded out the film's nominations with a nod for Best Original Score.

Despite the critical acclaim, the film faced challenges at the box office. According to Variety, while One Battle After Another earned over $200 million globally, its production budget of more than $130 million—plus marketing costs—means it will likely lose tens of millions of dollars. This disconnect between artistic recognition and commercial performance highlights the ongoing tensions in Hollywood's current economic landscape.

International Cinema Makes Strong Showing

The drama categories saw fierce competition, with Joachim Trier's Norwegian film Sentimental Value securing eight nominations and Ryan Coogler's vampire thriller Sinners earning seven. Both films will compete for Best Motion Picture – Drama alongside Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, Chloé Zhao's Hamnet, Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident, and The Secret Agent.

Sentimental Value showcased remarkable ensemble recognition, with all four principal cast members—Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas—receiving individual nominations. Michael B. Jordan earned a Best Actor nomination for Sinners, while Hamnet stars Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley were both recognized for their performances in the Shakespeare adaptation.

Wicked Sequel Faces Surprising Snub

One of the morning's biggest surprises was the omission of Wicked: For Good from the Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category. Despite the film's box office success and two Best Original Song nominations, the sequel to last year's Globe-winning Wicked failed to secure a nomination for the top prize.

According to the BBC, this represents "perhaps the biggest shock of the day—especially considering Wicked: For Good's huge Box Office success." However, the film's stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were both nominated in the acting categories, offering some consolation for Universal Pictures.

Entertainment reporter Steven McIntosh noted that the sequel "has been met with far less enthusiasm than the first film," citing the source material's structure, with the stage musical's best-known songs appearing in the first act and the second half being "gloomier and darker, and arguably drags more."

Television Categories Showcase Prestige Drama

The White Lotus led all television nominees with six nominations, including Best Television Series – Drama and multiple acting nods for Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Aimee Lou Wood, Walton Goggins, and Jason Isaacs. Creator Mike White recently confirmed the anthology series will return for a fourth season set in the French Riviera.

Netflix's Adolescence followed closely with five nominations, continuing its awards momentum after dominating the September Emmys. The one-shot drama about a teenage boy accused of stabbing a classmate earned nominations for Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper, Erin Doherty, and Ashley Walters, with Graham also recognized as co-creator and co-writer.

Other major television contenders included Apple TV+'s Severance and Slow Horses, along with Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, which earned four nominations including nods for stars Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez.

Golden Globes Expand to Recognize Podcasts

In a significant expansion of its scope, the Golden Globes introduced a Best Podcast category for 2026. The nominees include some of the medium's biggest names: "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard," "Call Her Daddy," "Good Hang with Amy Poehler," "The Mel Robbins Podcast," "SmartLess," and NPR's "Up First."

This addition reflects the growing cultural influence of podcasting and the Golden Globes' effort to remain relevant as entertainment consumption patterns evolve. The organization has also added a Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category to recognize commercially successful films, though the nominees in this category raised eyebrows.

Among the eight films nominated for box office achievement are genuine hits like F1, Sinners, Wicked: For Good, and Zootopia 2. However, the category also includes Avatar: Fire & Ash, which hasn't been released yet, and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which Variety noted "was a financial disappointment that lost tens of millions."

Streaming Giants Dominate Nominations

The nominations revealed the ongoing dominance of streaming platforms in Hollywood's new ecosystem. Netflix led all distributors with 35 nominations across film and television, followed by Warner Bros. and HBO—which Netflix recently announced plans to acquire for $82.7 billion—with 31 combined nominations.

This distribution of nominations underscores the seismic shifts occurring in the entertainment industry, where traditional studios increasingly compete with—or get absorbed by—streaming platforms. The Golden Globes, produced by Dick Clark Productions (a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge), has positioned itself at the intersection of these changes.

British Talent Shows Strong in Television

While British representation in the film categories was relatively modest—with only Cynthia Erivo, Emily Blunt, and Tessa Thompson alongside Irish actors Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal—UK talent dominated certain television categories.

Beyond Adolescence, British-produced shows like Slow Horses (starring Gary Oldman) and performances by Helen Mirren in Mobland and Kathy Bates in Matlock demonstrated the continued strength of British television production and acting talent on the global stage.

Looking Ahead to Awards Season

These nominations set the tone for the broader awards season, though the Golden Globes' predictive power for the Oscars remains debatable. What's clear is that 2026 will see intense competition between auteur-driven projects like One Battle After Another and Sentimental Value, genre films like Sinners and Frankenstein, and literary adaptations like Hamnet.

The television categories suggest that prestige drama continues to thrive on streaming platforms, with The White Lotus, Severance, and Adolescence representing the kind of high-quality, star-studded productions that define this era of peak television.

As the industry gathers for the ceremony on January 11, all eyes will be on how these nominations translate into wins—and what they signal about Hollywood's creative and commercial priorities in an era of unprecedented change. With Nikki Glaser returning to host what the Golden Globes organization calls "Hollywood's party of the year," the evening promises to combine serious recognition with the glamour and unpredictability that have made the Globes a fixture of awards season.