Are the Golden Globes Good for Business?

Disney (NYSE:DIS) walked away with no fewer than four major films in the Golden Globe running: Brave, Frankenweenie, Wreck-It Ralph, and Lincoln. All four films have fed the bank so far.

Brave had a production budget of $185 million, and as of December 9 had pulled in over $237 million domestically, and over $535 million worldwide. Frankenweenie had a budget of $39 million, and has pulled in over $66 million worldwide. Wreck-It Ralph had a production budget of $165 million and has pulled in $216 million worldwide. However, these three are all animated films and are unlikely to draw substantial sales from discerning viewers after winners are announced.

Lincoln is the interesting example for Disney, because it is the type of film that discerning viewers could be hesitant about. The film had a production budget of $65 million and has only pulled in about $98 million so far. The film has yet to be distributed internationally, and a Golden Globe award (it was nominated for seven) could help sell it to those on the fence — just “one more reason” to see the film, and we’re always looking to break the camel’s back.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., a subsidiary of Time Warner (NYSE:TWX), landed Argo on the list four times. The film had a budget of $44.5 million and has already grossed $159 million worldwide, and also falls into that nebulous category of films that could heavily benefit from a Golden Globe or two…