Why The Biggest Box Office Movie Of 2024 Won’t Win An Oscar (2025)

The 97th Academy Awards will take place on March 2, 2025, and while the race is tight in many categories, the biggest movie of the year is highly unlikely to win. At least when it comes to the box office, the biggest film of 2024 was Inside Out 2. Inside Out 2 is nominated for Best Animated Feature but is not favored to win. The front runner in the category is The Wild Robot, and odds sites like Gold Derby also give higher odds to Flow.

Inside Out 2 topped the box office with over $1.6 billion. It surpassed 2019’s The Lion King to become the highest-grossing animated film and is currently the ninth highest-grossing film of all time. It also became the twelfth animated film to gross over $1 billion worldwide.

While this success might not translate into awards, 2024 was a great year for Disney at the box office. The top three films of the year all came from the studio and all made over a billion dollars each. The second highest-grossing film of the year was Deadpool & Wolverine, which grossed over $1.3 Billion. Moana 2 took the third spot at the box office. However, neither film was nominated for an Oscar. Two songs from Moana 2 were submitted for consideration, but neither was nominated.

While the top three films of 2024 are unlikely or unable to win, some high-grossing films are in the running. Wicked was the fifth highest-grossing film of the year (coming in after Despicable Me 4) with about $729 million worldwide. While not at the top of the box office, partially due to its marketing campaign, it feels like one of the year’s biggest films. Wicked was nominated for 10 Oscars, including Best Picture. While it is not favored to win Best Picture, it would be surprising if it is not honored for its production or costumes. Similarly, the sixth highest-grossing film of the year, Dune: Part 2, secured five nominations, including Best Picture. While much like Wicked, Dune: Part 2 isn’t favored to win Best Picture, it will likely win an award for its sound or visual effects, at least.

Many wouldn’t be surprised to hear that this year’s biggest blockbusters aren’t well represented at the Oscars; however, that’s not always the case. Last year, the highest-grossing film of the year, Barbie, was nominated for Best Picture (along with seven other Academy Awards) and won Best Original Song. The number three film of the year, Oppenheimer was nominated for 13 Oscars and won seven, including Best Picture.

While the term blockbuster comes from the 1940s, the first modern or “summer blockbuster” movie was 1975’s Jaws. Jaws changed the industry, but pre-1975, the biggest films of the year often won Oscars, even Best Picture. At the first Oscars, the highest-grossing film of 1927, Wings, took home Best Picture. Gone with the Wind wasn’t only the highest-grossing film of 1939, but adjusted for inflation it is still the highest-grossing movie ever. It also won eight Academy Awards. Other top-grossing films of the year to take home Best Picture include 1959’s Ben-Hur, 1965’s The Sound of Music, and 1972’s The Godfather.

Since the 1970s and the rise of the summer blockbuster, it has become rare for the highest-grossing film of the year to also be the Oscar’s choice for Best Picture. However, it is still not unheard of. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was both in 2003. 1997’s Titanic is still the fourth highest-grossing film ever and it won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture.

Outside of Best Picture, big movies often win other Oscars. Recently, 2024’s Avatar the Way of Water won for Best Visual Effects. The highest-grossing film of all time, 2009’s Avatar won three for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects. Blockbusters often find their way into these categories. Raiders of the Lost Ark was the highest-grossing film of 1981 and won five Oscars including Best Visual Effects. 1977’s top box office film, Star Wars, took home eight Oscars.

When it comes to animation, two top box office films have also won Best Animated Feature: 2010’s Toy Story 3 and 2013’s Frozen. While Inside Out 2 is unlikely to become a third, there seems to be a rising tension between box office domination and awards. The Golden Globes introduced a new category last year, Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, that champions high-grossing films. It specifically celebrates “the year’s most acclaimed, highest-earning and/or most viewed films that have garnered extensive global audience support and attained cinematic excellence.” Last year, the award went to Barbie, and this year, Wicked won.

The Oscars don’t have an award for excellence at the box office, and likely, the biggest film of 2024 won’t take home a statuette in 2025.