The 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards will be announced tomorrow night, and among the nominees are several big-name TV shows and films that have been completely dominated by social media after their seasons. The #GoldenGlobes are all the rage this year, and it’s not hard to see why.
The Harry Potter series has become a cultural phenomenon, with countless memes and parody accounts dedicated to J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world. It’s fair to say that Pottermania has now seeped into mainstream pop culture, with celebrities showing their devotion to the series by wearing its logo on social media and going viral with their Potter-related content. The results of this are clear: the HP series has become the biggest TV show of all time – surpassing record-breaking shows such as The Big Bang Theory and Game of Thrones – and several of its stars have gone on to become international celebrities. However, Potter does not hold the record for the longest-running comedy series, as The Office has been on the air for longer. Still, HP is unquestionably the biggest achievement in comedy, television and international cinema. It’s also one of the most popular series of all time when it comes to DVDs and Blu-rays, and the movies have also become classics. The final installment in the saga, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released last year and became the second-highest-grossing film of all time. So, it’s safe to assume that Potterheads are going to be out in force tomorrow night.
Which Actor Will Win the Best Actor Golden Globe?
Let’s start with one of the most popular and possibly the longest-running comedy series of all time. The Big Bang Theory has been on the air for more than 12 years and is often credited with creating the modern-day romantic comedy. The show boasts an ensemble cast, with each episode focusing on a different character and their unique comedic and romantic stories. The series started with an ensemble cast of four characters, but since then multiple spin-off series such as Young Sheldon and The Max Weinberg Show have grown the group to five, nine and now 13 main characters, respectively. The success of the show is evident in the fact that almost all of its stars have gone on to become very popular and successful in their own right. The showrunners even addressed the fan frenzy surrounding the series in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying that “the more characters there are, the more opportunities for everyone to shine.” So, the ensemble cast of The Big Bang Theory is sure to delight Potterheads by bringing the magic of Harry Potter to the big screen. Plus, the show is already filled with references to the series, so it’s practically a given that fans will recognize something, and then some more once the lights go down.
Which Actress Will Win the Best Actress Golden Globe?
Turning to a darker subject matter for a moment, the movies that have been most successfully marketed to (and inspired by) Potterheads are films directed by Guillermo del Toro, such as The Shape of Water and Pan’s Labyrinth. The latter is the Spanish director’s homage to the works of H.P. Lovecraft, with a magical, creature-filled world inspired by the author’s stories. It was originally del Toro’s second film, after the vampire movie Blade II, which served as a sort of hybrid sequel/prequel to Pan’s Labyrinth. Like most of del Toro’s work, Pan’s Labyrinth is filled with dark fantasy, cosmic horror and monsters, just in this case giant puppets instead of traditional fantasy creatures. The director loved the Harry Potter books and watched the series religiously as a kid, so it’s no surprise that his films are so popular among fans of the series. The director is known for doling out huge praise to the films and shows he loves, and has gone viral on several occasions for his passionate responses to criticism (or praise). While Blade II barely registered on the pop culture radar when it was released over 10 years ago, the first film in the series still does very well financially, so it seems that people are still interested in vampires and the undead. In fact, the recent TV show The Lost Boys is loosely based on the first Blade film. As for the future of the Blade films, which is now in its fourth installment, del Toro has said that, while he would always love to make more, he doesn’t have the time to do so, as he is too busy with other projects. The director still considers itself to be one of the greatest living English-language filmmakers, and the praise is definitely merited.
Will It Be A Trend Or An Accident?
While the Golden Globes are always interesting to analyze, it’s interesting to see how much the pop culture landscape has changed in the seven years since the last Harry Potter film, Prisoner of Azkaban, was released. Not only has the series influenced numerous other series and films, it even influenced real-life events and trends. When the eighth and final Harry Potter installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released last year, not only did it become the highest-grossing film of all time, but it was also surpassed by several other blockbusters, including Deadpool 2 and Toy Story 4. These days, it seems that whenever there’s a new Harry Potter installment, it instantly becomes Apple’s #1 movie on their platform, often beating out franchise blockbusters such asJurassic World and the latest Toy Story installment. While it’s great to see a series that has been around for so long continue to have such popularity, it’s also interesting to see how much that popularity has seeped into everyday society. Maybe it’s time to celebrate a little bit… but only a little bit, because as much as we love our precious HP content, we also have to acknowledge that Apple’s success with the series is likely due to the fact that it was basically the only show on network television last year. Still, we’ll take what we can get, and that’s all that matters.