If a movie wins a Golden Globe, but there’s no ceremony, does the prize still count? That’s the issue faced by the Hollywood studios behind such films as Atonement and Sweeney Todd, which lost their moments of glory on Sunday to the Hollywood writers strike.

Globe organisers were forced to cancel their usual NBC broadcast after the actors union said it would boycott the event in deference to striking writers. A 30-minute news conference was held instead, with the winners announced by a revolving cast of TV gossip show reporters.

That’s a poor promotional platform for films that would have benefited from primetime exposure during an alcohol-fueled, three-hour broadcast packed with celebrities.

“Certainly it takes away the visibility from us and everybody, which is too bad,” said Jack Foley, President of distribution at General Electric Co’s Focus Features, which released best-drama winner Atonement. “It’s a big, huge commercial.”

Last year, 20 million viewers tuned in to the show, and winners such as The Queen and Babel used the Globes as a springboard to expand nationally the following weekend.

Atonement, which led with seven nominations, has earned a modest $25 million after six weeks in release, and is now playing in 950 theaters.

Foley said it would be vital for movies to trumpet their Globes successes in newspaper and TV ads, especially since the following Monday is a holiday in the US, and Oscar nominations will be announced the day after.

While there is inevitably a lot of overlap between the Globe and Oscar nominees, the Globes have not foreshadowed the best-picture Oscar winner since 2004, when Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King topped both ceremonies.

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