Sci-fi epic Avatar: Fire and Ash’s Golden Globe nomination in Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category has left many baffled as the film is yet to earn a penny at the box office.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is set to release in theatres on 19 December. How was it then a part of the nomination list announced by organisers on Monday?

The answer lies in the Golden Globes’s eligibility criteria. According to the rules, films released after 22 November “may qualify” for the box office achievement award based on their “projected box office performance and/or streaming views from recognised industry sources”.

“The Cinematic and Box Office Achievement includes nominees from the year’s most acclaimed, highest-earning and/or most viewed films that have garnered extensive global audience support and attained cinematic excellence,” reads a statement on the official website of Golden Globes.

“Motion pictures are eligible for the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award if they achieve a box office receipt total/gross of USD 150 million, of which USD 100 million must come from the U.S. domestic box office, and/or obtain commensurate digital streaming viewership recognised by trusted industry sources,” the statement adds.

Fire and Ash, which is the third instalment in the popular Avatar film series, could be nominated because it is expected to gross enough money to be eligible in the category, even though it has not been released yet.

The assumption rests on the collection of the previous two instalments. The original Avatar film, released in 2009, is the highest grossing film of all time. The 2022 sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, is the third highest-grossing movie ever made.

The Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category was introduced in 2024 to ensure mainstream movies had a stronger presence in awards season.

The first-ever winner was Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Jon M. Chu’s Wicked bagged the award in 2025.

While James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash was nominated for the Box Office award, it was snubbed for Best Film Drama, an award the first Avatar film won in 2010. Similarly, Wicked: For Good failed to earn a nomination for Best Comedy/Musical Film even though the first movie was nominated in that category. James Gunn’s Superman, which minted over USD 600 million globally, was also absent from the list of films nominated in the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category.

Golden Globe Awards 2026 is scheduled to be held in Los Angeles on 11 January.