Every week, we’ll take a look back in 5-year intervals at the box office past to explore how Oscar’s nominees were doing at the box office each weekend historically. All data is collected from Box Office Mojo. The first section under each year is the positioning of all Oscar nominees during that weekend at the box office (as well as a section looking at the inflation-adjusted numbers). The third section is an alphabetical list of those films and the categories in which they were nominated. And to start each week off, we’ll be looking at the films releasing over the weekend that have the best chance of getting Oscar nominations and specifying the categories where we think they have the best shots at this stage of the game. If you have any suggestions for more data you’d like to see, please let us know.

This Year: Potential Oscar Nominees Releasing This Weekend

Doctor Strange (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects.

Hacksaw Ridge (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Picture, Director, Actor (Andrew Garfield), Supporting Actor (Hugo Weaving), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Film Editing, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup & Hairstyling, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects.

Trolls (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Animated Feature.

Loving (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Picture, Director, Actor (Joel Edgerton), Actress (Ruth Negga), Supporting Actor (Michael Shannon), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Film Editing, Production Design, Costume Design.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 11-13, 2011

Weekend Box Office:

3. Puss in Boots – $24,726,193 ($108,035,359 total) {week 3}
10. Real Steel – $1,864,688 ($81,612,804 total) {week 6}
11. Moneyball – $1,066,267 ($71,857,836 total) {week 8}
13. The Ides of March – $944,292 ($38,358,318 total) {week 6}
17. Anonymous – $582,527 ($3,753,918 total) {week 3}
18. Margin Call – $544,341 ($3,311,024 total) {week 4}
28. The Help – $245,321 ($167,833,563 total) {week 14}
31. Rise of the Planet of the Apes – $130,158 ($176,332,809 total) {week 15}
35. Drive – $105,466 ($34,259,311 total) {week 9}
44. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 – $53,798 ($380,955,619 total) {week 18}
47. Midnight in Paris – $46,149 ($55,550,618 total) {week 26}
999. Hell and Back Again – $775 ($24,712 total) {week 6}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

3. Puss in Boots – $25,474,527 ($111,305,029 total)
10. Real Steel – $1,921,122 ($84,082,801 total)
11. Moneyball – $1,098,537 ($74,032,600 total)
13. The Ides of March – $972,871 ($39,519,225 total)
17. Anonymous – $600,157 ($3,867,530 total)
18. Margin Call – $560,815 ($3,411,232 total)
28. The Help – $252,746 ($172,913,015 total)
31. Rise of the Planet of the Apes – $134,097 ($181,669,489 total)
35. Drive – $108,658 ($35,296,163 total)
44. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 – $55,426 ($392,485,171 total)
47. Midnight in Paris – $47,546 ($57,231,847 total)
999. Hell and Back Again – $798 ($25,460 total)

Oscar Details:

• Anonymous: Costume Design
• Drive: Sound Editing
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2: Art Direction, Makeup, Visual Effects
• Hell and Back Again: Documentary Feature
• The Help: Picture, Actress (Viola Davis), Supporting Actress (Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer [O])
• The Ides of March: Adapted Screenplay
• Margin Call: Original Screenplay
• Midnight in Paris: Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay [O], Art Direction
• Moneyball: Picture, Actor (Brad Pitt), Supporting Actor (Jonah Hill), Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, Sound Mixing
• Puss in Boots: Animated Feature
• Real Steel: Visual Effects
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Visual Effects

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 10-12, 2006

Weekend Box Office:

1. Borat – $2,826,990 ($67,111,765 total) {week 2}
6. Babel – $558,095 ($7,395,357 total) {week 3}
7. The Departed – $5,164,480 ($109,702,938 total) {week 6}
8. The Prestige – $4,778,175 ($46,185,205 total) {week 4}
11. Flags of Our Fathers – $2,811,575 ($30,950,950 total) {week 4}
12. The Queen – $2,714,119 ($13,898,021 total) {week 7}
17. Marie Antoinette – $1,151,617 ($14,884,207 total) {week 4}
25. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – $461,858 ($422,065,649 total) {week 19}
28. Little Miss Sunshine – $193,032 ($58,572,436 total) {week 16}
29. The Last King of Scotland – $188,054 ($3,091,373 total) {week 7}
32. Volver – $169,211 ($463,075 total) {week 2}
33. The Illusionist – $165,330 ($39,067,626 total) {week 13}
35. Little Children – $136,070 ($1,253,941 total) {week 6}
50. The Devil Wears Prada – $35,620 ($124,665,689 total) {week 20}
51. Jesus Camp – $32,335 ($753,569 total) {week 9}
58. Iraq in Fragments – $24,435 ($27,917 total) {week 1}
60. Deliver Us From Evil – $22,221 ($155,945 total) {week 5}
74. Half Nelson – $10,995 ($2,667,944 total) {week 14}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

1. Borat – $3,526,184 ($83,710,400 total)
6. Babel – $696,128 ($9,224,438 total)
7. The Departed – $6,441,802 ($136,835,573 total)
8. The Prestige – $5,959,953 ($57,608,111 total)
11. Flags of Our Fathers – $3,506,957 ($38,605,994 total)
12. The Queen – $3,385,397 ($17,335,394 total)
17. Marie Antoinette – $1,436,444 ($18,565,492 total)
25. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – $576,089 ($526,454,405 total)
28. Little Miss Sunshine – $240,774 ($73,059,054 total)
29. The Last King of Scotland – $234,565 ($3,855,957 total)
32. Volver – $211,062 ($577,607 total)
33. The Illusionist – $206,221 ($48,730,153 total)
35. Little Children – $169,724 ($1,564,076 total)
50. The Devil Wears Prada – $44,430 ($155,499,035 total)
51. Jesus Camp – $40,332 ($939,948 total)
58. Iraq in Fragments – $30,478 ($34,822 total)
60. Deliver Us From Evil – $27,717 ($194,515 total)
74. Half Nelson – $13,714 ($3,327,802 total)

Oscar Details:

• Babel: Picture, Supporting Actress (Adriana Barraza, Rinko Kikuchi), Director, Original Screenplay, Original Score [O], Editing
• Borat: Adapted Screenplay
• Deliver Us From Evil: Documentary Feature
• The Departed: Picture [O], Director [O], Supporting Actor (Mark Wahlberg), Adapted Screenplay [O], Editing
• The Devil Wears Prada: Actress (Meryl Streep), Costume Design
• Flags of Our Fathers: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
• Half Nelson: Actor (Ryan Gosling)
• The Illusionist: Cinematography
• Iraq in Fragments: Documentary Feature
• Jesus Camp: Documentary Feature
• The Last King of Scotland: Actor (Forest Whitaker [O])
• Little Children: Actress (Kate Winslet), Supporting Actor (Jackie Earle Haley), Adapted Screenplay
• Little Miss Sunshine: Picture, Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin [O]), Supporting Actress (Abigail Breslin), Original Screenplay [O]
• Marie Antoinette: Costume Design [O]
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest: Art Direction, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects [O]
• The Prestige: Cinematography, Art Direction
• The Queen: Picture, Director, Actress (Helen Mirren [O]), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Costume Design
• Volver: Actress (Penelope Cruz)

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 9-11, 2001

Weekend Box Office:

1. Monsters, Inc. – $45,551,028 ($122,150,373 total) {week 2}
10. Training Day – $2,023,429 ($72,608,774 total) {week 6}
14. The Man Who Wasn’t There – $1,015,856 ($1,935,810 total) {week 2}
16. Amelie – $773,865 ($106,712 total) {week 2}
21. Mulholland Drive – $383,075 ($4,315,443 total) {week 5}
34. Shrek – $121,220 ($267,367,187 total) {week 26}
55. Pearl Harbor – $33,493 ($198,473,555 total) {week 25}
59. Ghost World – $23,686 ($6,021,645 total) {week 17}
999. Moulin Rouge! – $8,088 ($56,733,370 total) {week 26}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

1. Monsters, Inc. – $65,751,219 ($176,319,531 total)
10. Training Day – $2,920,745 ($104,808,071 total)
14. The Man Who Wasn’t There – $1,466,350 ($2,794,270 total)
16. Amelie – $1,117,045 ($154,035 total)
21. Mulholland Drive – $552,955 ($6,229,182 total)
34. Shrek – $174,977 ($385,934,614 total)
55. Pearl Harbor – $48,346 ($286,489,213 total)
59. Ghost World – $34,190 ($8,692,021 total)
999. Moulin Rouge! – $11,675 ($81,892,515 total)

Oscar Details:

• Amelie: Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound, Foreign Language Film
• Ghost World: Adapted Screenplay
• The Man Who Wasn’t There: Cinematography
• Monsters, Inc.: Animated Feature, Original Song (If I Didn’t Have You [O]), Original Score, Sound Editing
• Moulin Rouge!: Picture, Actress (Nicole Kidman), Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O], Makeup, Sound
• Mulholland Drive: Director
• Pearl Harbor: Original Song (“There You’ll Be”), Sound, Sound Editing [O], Visual Effects
• Shrek: Animated Feature [O], Adapted Screenplay
• Training Day: Actor (Denzel Washington [O]), Supporting Actor (Ethan Hawke)

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 8-10, 1996

Weekend Box Office:

0. Independence Day – $978,214 ($303,624,796 total) {week 19}
2. Romeo + Juliet – $9,026,448 ($23,538,658 total) {week 2}
4. Sleepers – $3,716,065 ($43,581,596 total) {week 4}
6. First Wives Club – $2,242,056 ($97,079,441 total) {week 8}
8. The Ghost and the Darkness – $1,727,222 ($34,575,614 total) {week 5}
10. Michael Collins – $1,408,519 ($8,182,610 total) {week 5}
13. Fly Away Home – $1,014,269 ($22,651,380 total) {week 9}
999. The Rock – $32,371 ($13,406,721 total) {week 23}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

0. Independence Day – $1,808,147 ($561,225,019 total)
2. Romeo + Juliet – $16,684,634 ($43,509,239 total)
4. Sleepers – $6,868,835 ($80,556,932 total)
6. First Wives Club – $4,144,253 ($179,443,220 total)
8. The Ghost and the Darkness – $3,192,625 ($63,910,128 total)
10. Michael Collins – $2,603,529 ($15,124,870 total)
13. Fly Away Home – $1,874,791 ($41,869,180 total)
999. The Rock – $59,835 ($24,781,201 total)

Oscar Details:

• First Wives Club: Original Comedy or Musical Score
• Fly Away Home: Cinematography
• The Ghost and the Darkness: Sound Effects [O]
• Independence Day: Sound, Visual Effects [O]
• Michael Collins: Original Score, Cinematography
• The Rock: Sound
• Romeo + Juliet: Art Direction
• Sleepers: Original Dramatic Score

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 8-10, 1991

Weekend Box Office:

11. The Fisher King – $1,579,200 ($35,647,561 total) {week 8}
999. Terminator 2: Judgment Day – $62,160 ($201,122,089 total) {week 19}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

11. The Fisher King – $3,064,623 ($69,178,283 total)
999. Terminator 2: Judgment Day – $120,629 ($390,301,061 total)

Oscar Details:

• The Fisher King: Actor (Robin Williams), Supporting Actress (Mercedes Ruehl) [O], Original Screenplay, Original Score, Art Direction
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day: Editing, Cinematography, Makeup [O], Sound [O], Sound Effects [O], Visual Effects [O]

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 7-9, 1986

Weekend Box Office:

1. Crocodile Dundee – $6,392,661 ($68,229,726 total) {week 7}
2. The Color of Money – $440,608 ($26,988,149 total) {week 4}
4. Peggy Sue Got Married – $3,285,983 ($25,827,215 total) {week 5}
7. Children of a Lesser God – $1,581,397 ($13,916,872 total) {week 6}
10. Stand By Me – $1,444,875 ($40,461,269 total) {week 14}
11. Top Gun – $1,258,282 ($162,052,991 total) {week 26}
999. Betty Blue (Foreign) – $29,383 ($29,383 total) {week 1}
999. Blue Velvet – $296,631 ($5,527,521 total) {week 8}
999. Marlene (Doc) – $14,490 ($14,490 total) {week 1}
999. The Mission – $44,049 ($116,619 total) {week 2}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

1. Crocodile Dundee – $14,077,639 ($150,252,523 total)
2. The Color of Money – $970,288 ($59,432,123 total)
4. Peggy Sue Got Married – $7,236,248 ($56,875,565 total)
7. Children of a Lesser God – $3,482,483 ($30,647,128 total)
10. Stand By Me – $3,181,841 ($89,102,040 total)
11. Top Gun – $2,770,934 ($356,866,021 total)
999. Betty Blue (Foreign) – $64,706 ($64,706 total)
999. Blue Velvet – $653,228 ($12,172,465 total)
999. Marlene (Doc) – $31,909 ($31,909 total)
999. The Mission – $97,003 ($256,813 total)

Oscar Details:

• Betty Blue (Foreign):
• Blue Velvet: Director
• Children of a Lesser God: Picture, Actor (William Hurt), Actress (Marlee Matlin [O]), Supporting Actress (Piper Laurie), Adapted Screenplay
• The Color of Money: Actor (Paul Newman [O]), Supporting Actress (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction
• Crocodile Dundee: Original Screenplay
• Marlene (Doc):
• The Mission: Picture, Director, Original Score, Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Costume Design
• Peggy Sue Got Married: Actress (Kathleen Turner), Cinematography, Costume Design
• Stand By Me: Adapted Screenplay
• Top Gun: Original Song (“Take My Breath Away” [O]), Editing, Sound, Sound Effects