Will "Hamilton" Golden Globes buzz open the door for more filmed stage productions?

Last month, it was announced that the filmed stage production of Hamilton will be eligible for Golden Globe Award nominations. With the nominations set to be announced on February 3rd, potential nods for the Lin-Manuel Miranda blockbuster could kick open the door for more potential Broadway stage productions to be filmed.

There is little doubt that the streaming of Hamilton on Disney+ was a wise investment for the House of Mouse. The movie premiered on the streaming service on Friday, July 3. From Friday through Sunday, the Disney Plus app was downloaded 752,451 times globally, including 458,796 times in the U.S., according to analytics firm Apptopia. It’s been reported that the service earned an additional $5.2 million from new customers that weekend alone.

Now, with awards season approaching, the studio is making the push for the musical to garner even more accolades.

According to Variety, Hamilton has been submitted and accepted by the Golden Globes as a possible contender for the ceremony's comedy or musical categories. Miranda, along with Leslie Odom Jr. (as Aaron Burr), will compete in the leading actor category, while it's noted that Phillipa Soo (Eliza Schuyler) and others will vie for supporting categories.

While it may surprise you, according to Golden Globe eligibility, there is nothing that would prevent the filmed stage production from being nominated. Given the studio delays due to COVID-19 and many moving properties to streaming services, this year would be perfect for Hamilton to slip into some categories.

How strong are its chances of being nominated? Given the awards combine musicals with comedies, it’s no slam dunk. I expect movie musicals such as The Prom and Jingle Jangle to get more attention but it’s possible. If Hamilton were to be in the mix, I would also expect David Bryne’s American Utopia to be considered as long as it was submitted.

While Golden Globes might be on the horizon, you can forget about the Oscars though. The Academy changed their eligibility rules to favor streaming movies amid the pandemic but Hamilton's status as a recorded stage production makes it ineligible for those awards. Lin-Manuel is going to have to wait to complete the EGOT for just a little while longer.

But will this development be the catalyst for more Broadway shows to be filmed and streamed?

From what I hear, if the money is right, you can bet on it.

According to what I’ve heard, producers are watching closely what happens with these streaming deals. Hamilton’s streaming rights were sold at $75 million. While it would be extremely rare for a streaming service to shell out that much, any deal would likely net millions for producers.

Now, with the bonus of movie awards possibilities? That’s the cherry on top.

“If Hamilton gets some nominations, there is going to be a big push for producers to try to sell these to streaming services,” a producer told me. “I know I’ll be pushing to stream mine.”

So let’s see what happens on February 3rd when the nominations are announced but if Hamilton’s name is called out, those were are dreaming of streaming more Broadway shows might possibly see those dreams come true quickly.