“One Battle After Another” to Compete in Golden Globes’ Comedy Category
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Paul Thomas Anderson’s action-thriller “One Battle After Another”, a loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland”, will compete in the Comedy or Musical category at the Golden Globes. Warner Bros. confirmed the submission through promotional materials sent to awards voters. Despite its classification, the film is not a pure comedy—Anderson’s signature absurdist humor is interwoven with elements of drama and political satire.
The story follows a group of former revolutionaries who reunite after sixteen years when their old enemies return, forcing them to rescue the daughter of one of their comrades. With a $140 million budget, the film is a modernized and lavish take on Pynchon’s “Vineland” and marks the most expensive project of Anderson’s career. The cast includes Benicio del Toro, Sean Penn, Alana Haim, Wood Harris, Chase Infinity, and Regina Hall, with Michael Bauman as cinematographer and Jonny Greenwood composing the score.
In the Golden Globes’ Comedy or Musical category, One Battle After Another is expected to face tough competition from Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme” (A24), Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Bugonia” (Focus Features), and Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked: For Good” (Universal). With 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, Anderson’s film has become one of the most acclaimed releases of the year, earning praise from veteran filmmakers across the industry.
Variety predicts that One Battle After Another will be a major contender at the Academy Awards, possibly matching the record of 14 nominations, a feat achieved only by All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997), and La La Land (2016).
The film could also make Golden Globe history. Robert Altman’s Nashville (1975) holds the record with 11 nominations, followed by Emilia Pérez (2024) with 10. According to Variety, Anderson’s film could tie Emilia Pérez’s record with 10 nominations.
If One Battle After Another surpasses $100 million at the domestic box office, it could also qualify for the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Award. Golden Globe rules require nominees in that category to gross at least $150 million worldwide and $100 million domestically. So far, the film has earned $165 million globally, with $66 million from U.S. theaters.
Last year, a similar classification debate surrounded The Substance (2024) starring Demi Moore, which was ultimately submitted as a Comedy or Musical.
The Golden Globe nominations will be announced on December 8, 2025 (17 Azar 1404).
Variety’s latest predictions for the Golden Globes
Best Motion Picture – Drama:
- Avatar: Fire and Ash – 20th Century Studios
- Frankenstein – Netflix
- Hamnet – Focus Features
- The Secret Agent – Neon
- Sentimental Value – Neon
- Sinners – Warner Bros.
Other contenders: It Was Just an Accident – Neon; A House of Dynamite – Netflix; Train Dreams – Netflix
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:
- Bugonia – Focus Features
- Jay Kelly – Netflix
- Marty Supreme – A24
- One Battle After Another – Warner Bros.
- Song Sung Blue – Focus Features
- Wicked: For Good – Universal Pictures
Other contenders: No Other Choice – Neon; The Testament of Ann Lee – Searchlight Pictures; Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Story – Netflix
