Netizens react to Golden Globes' two new categories for blockbusters and stand-up comedians

The Golden Globe Awards have announced two new categories starting from its 2024 edition. As per a Variety report, these are for box office achievement and best stand-up comedy on television, respectively. 

The criteria for the Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement include:

• Films must have grossed at least $150 million during release
• $100 million out of the total should have come from the US box office
• Streaming films with good viewership from "recognised industry sources"
• Eight films to be nominated
• Films nominated in this category can also compete in the Best Motion Picture Drama or Comedy category

However, the internet wasn't too impressed by this addition. Several users took to X (formerly Twitter) and expressed disappointment. One wrote, "Cinematic and Box Office Achievement"? Why don't they just call it Best Popular Movie's category exactly? You know the one that got canceled by The Academy. (thinking emoji)."

Many called it a category created only to honour Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Barbie. The Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie-starrer grossed over $1 billion at the global box office. A user wrote, "a category just for Barbie (laughing with tears emoji)." Another wrote, "Cinematic and Box Office are kind of antithetical to each other but at least it will be Barbie, Oppenheimer, Spider-Verse, Super Mario and Mission Impossible." "Just for Barbie.. okay," wrote a third one.

The criteria for Golden Globe for Best Performance in Stand-up Comedy for Television are:

• Outstanding work from a comic in a traditional stand-up format.
• Or as a breakout comic in a troupe or ensemble.
• Comedy specials must air on broadcast, basic and premium cable, streaming and pay-per-view cable.
• Projects must have a recognized distributor.
• Individual social media accounts will not be eligible.

Again, the internet wasn't too happy with this new category either. One user posted, "How the hell is anyone gonna give out the award for best stand-up performance? There's no standard on what makes something properly funny at all. I don't trust this isn't gonna be used really poorly." Another wrote, "For an organization already prone to controversy, I don't know if creating a category where Dave Chappelle and Louis C.K. are the biggest names is the greatest idea for them."