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Does the average moviegoer recognize the film titles 鈥淐arol,鈥� 鈥淩oom,鈥� or 鈥淪potlight,鈥� three of the movies that were nominated for prestigious Golden Globes this year?聽

Possibly, but it鈥檚 far more likely they know the movies 鈥淢ad Max: Fury Road鈥� and 鈥淭he Martian,鈥� two films that became box office champions this year and earned nominations alongside movies like 鈥淐arol鈥� and 鈥淩oom.鈥澛�

The awards season sometimes honors movies that are little-seen by mainstream audiences. (Last year鈥檚 Best Picture winner, 鈥淏irdman,鈥� was the second-lowest-grossing winner of all time.)聽

But this year, 鈥淢ax,鈥� one of the highest-grossing films of 2015, made the cut for the best drama Golden Globe category, while 鈥淢artian鈥� is nominated for the best comedy or musical award and is looked upon as a strong contender for an Oscar Best Picture nomination along with 鈥淢ax.鈥�

By contrast, last year鈥檚 highest-grossing nominee in the drama or musical/comedy Golden Globes categories was 鈥淚nto the Woods,鈥� and that made a little more than half what 鈥淢artian鈥� has made domestically. The other nominees didn鈥檛 even come close.聽

Why are many of these movies less seen? Nominees such as 鈥淐arol鈥� and 鈥淩oom鈥� are often put in limited release and then expanded later, meaning they are in fewer theaters when first released.聽

The time of year at which many of these award contenders are released may also play a part. Some of them are released near the end of the year around the holidays. Does the average moviegoer want to see a movie like 鈥淩oom,鈥� which tells the story of a woman and her son who are kept captive, at this time of the year? Or would they rather turn to a crowd-pleaser, such as 鈥淪tar Wars鈥�?聽

In addition, 鈥淢ax鈥� and 鈥淢artian鈥� are both movies full of spectacle, with 鈥淢ax鈥� being made up largely of action scenes and 鈥淢artian鈥� telling the story of a daring rescue in space. The two highest-grossing Best Picture winners of all time (not counting inflation), 鈥淭itanic鈥� and 鈥淭he Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,鈥� both offered these as well. 鈥淭itanic鈥� was praised for its special effects, while 鈥淜ing鈥� was full of fantasy battle scenes.聽

Oscar nominations have not yet been announced (they鈥檒l come out in January) but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is no doubt hoping 鈥淢ax鈥� or 鈥淢artian鈥� will make the cut for a Best Picture nod. The all-time best ratings for the Oscars telecast came when 鈥淭itanic鈥� was nominated for and won Best Picture. People are no doubt more likely to tune in if a movie they saw and enjoyed is up for big prizes.