Every week, we’ll take a look back 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years into the box office past to explore how Oscar’s nominees were doing at the box office that weekend historically. All data is taken from Box Office Mojo. The first section under each year is the positioning of all Oscar nominees during that weekend at the box office. The second 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 chance at this stage of the game. Please let us know if you like our new feature or if you want to see more information and we’ll see what we can do!

This Year: Potential Oscar Nominees Releasing This Weekend

John Carter (Wide)

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

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 9-11, 2007

Weekend Box Office:

6. Norbit – $4,278,099 ($88,295,349 total) {week 5}
17. The Lives of Others – $852,558 ($3,460,248 total) {week 5}
18. Pan’s Labyrinth – $780,957 ($35,407,181 total) {week 11}
20. The Last King of Scotland – $656,921 ($16,262,830 total) {week 24}
21. Happy Feet – $622,496 ($195,551,539 total) {week 17}
22. The Queen – $573,487 ($55,154,689 total) {week 24}
25. Dreamgirls – $312,255 ($102,579,252 total) {week 13}
28. Notes on a Scandal – $200,149 ($17,061,885 total) {week 11}
34. Blood Diamond – $134,204 ($56,711,165 total) {week 14}
35. Volver – $129,425 ($12,516,745 total) {week 19}
40. The Departed – $102,265 ($132,310,442 total) {week 23}
41. Letters from Iwo Jima – $100,167 ($13,521,691 total) {week 12}
42. Children of Men – $96,785 ($35,286,428 total) {week 11}
48. Babel – $69,737 ($34,237,104 total) {week 20}
49. Venus – $63,229 ($3,186,768 total) {week 12}
52. Little Children – $56,246 ($5,307,219 total) {week 23}
58. Days of Glory – $26,327 ($232,766 total) {week 14}
66. The Curse of the Golden Flower – $13,632 ($6,548,853 total) {week 12}
67. Little Miss Sunshine – $13,271 ($59,876,528 total) {week 33}
71. The Good German – $10,046 ($1,213,968 total) {week 13}
72. Borat – $9,845 ($128,498,545 total) {week 19}
80. The 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films – $6,587 ($299,101 total) {week 4}
83. Iraq in Fragments – $6,218 ($150,927 total) {week 18}

Oscar Details:

• The 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films: Animated Short Film; Live Action Short Film
• Babel: Picture, Supporting Actress (Adriana Barraza, Rinko Kikuchi), Director, Original Screenplay, Original Score [O], Editing
• Blood Diamond: Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Supporting Actor (Djimon Hounsou), Editing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
• Borat: Adapted Screenplay
• Children of Men: Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography
• The Curse of the Golden Flower: Costume Design
• Days of Glory: Foreign Language Film
• The Departed: Picture [O], Director [O], Supporting Actor (Mark Wahlberg), Adapted Screenplay [O], Editing
• Dreamgirls: Supporting Actor (Eddie Murphy), Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) [O], Original Song (“Listen”, “Love You I Do”, “Patience”), Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound [O]
• The Good German: Original Score
• Happy Feet: Animated Feature [O]
• Iraq in Fragments: Documentary Feature
• The Last King of Scotland: Actor (Forest Whitaker [O])
• Letters from Iwo Jima: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Sound Editing [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]
• The Lives of Others: Foreign Language Film
• Norbit: Makeup
• Notes on a Scandal: Actress (Judi Dench), Supporting Actress (Cate Blanchett), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score
• Pan’s Labyrinth: Original Screenplay, Original Score, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Makeup [O], Foreign Language Film
• The Queen: Picture, Director, Actress (Helen Mirren [O]), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Costume Design
• Venus: Actor (Peter O’Toole)
• Volver: Actress (Penelope Cruz)

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 8-10, 2002

Weekend Box Office:

1. The Time Machine – $22,610,437 ($22,610,437 total) {week 1}
8. A Beautiful Mind – $3,872,880 ($144,274,651 total) {week 12}
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – $2,683,317 ($291,149,457 total) {week 12}
13. Gosford Park – $1,688,318 ($33,387,034 total) {week 11}
14. Monster’s Ball – $1,663,494 ($15,457,817 total) {week 11}
17. In the Bedroom – $1,409,007 ($30,710,084 total) {week 16}
18. Black Hawn Down – $1,344,595 ($106,745,304 total) {week 11}
19. I Am Sam – $1,241,286 ($37,337,038 total) {week 11}
25. Amelie – $620,292 ($28,790,935 total) {week 19}
26. Iris – $526,224 ($2,435,918 total) {week 13}
32. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – $249,184 ($315,311,411 total) {week 17}
39. Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius – $132,420 ($80,168,030 total) {week 12}
40. Monsters, Inc. – $122,065 ($252,557,794 total) {week 19}
47. Mulholland Drive – $49,150 ($7,015,283 total) {week 22}
61. Moulin Rouge! – $15,651 ($57,276,980 total) {week 43}

Oscar Details:

• Amelie: Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound, Foreign Language Film
• A Beautiful Mind: Picture [O], Director [O], Actor (Russell Crowe), Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly) [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score, Editing, Makeup
• Black Hawn Down: Director, Editing [O], Cinematography, Sound [O]
• Gosford Park: Picture, Director, Supporting Actress (Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith), Original Screenplay [O], Art Direction, Costume Design
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Original Score, Art Direction, Costume Design
• I Am Sam: Actor (Sean Penn)
• In the Bedroom: Picture, Actor (Tom Wilkinson), Actress (Sissy Spacek), Supporting Actress (Marisa Tomei), Adapted Screenplay
• Iris: Actress (Judi Dench), Supporting Actor (Jim Broadbent) [O], Supporting Actress (Kate Winslet)
• Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius: Animated Feature
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Ian McKellen), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score [O], Original Song (“May It Be”), Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup [O], Sound, Visual Effects [O]
• Monster’s Ball: Actress (Halle Berry) [O], Original Screenplay
• 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
• The Time Machine: Makeup

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 7-9, 1997

Weekend Box Office:

4. Donnie Brasco – $7,831,804 ($23,354,735 total) {week 2}
10. Marvin’s Room – $2,365,877 ($8,678,752 total) {week 6}
12. Jerry Maguire – $2,153,022 ($138,005,881 total) {week 13}
13. The English Patient – $2,007,254 ($57,548,109 total) {week 17}
14. Shine – $1,944,532 ($28,769,863 total) {week 16}
16. Sling Blade – $1,270,753 ($4,833,610 total) {week 9}
22. Secrets & Lies – $487,507 ($10,359,338 total) {week 10}
999. Evita – $381,913 ($48,168,734 total) {week 11}

Oscar Details:

• Donnie Brasco: Adapted Screenplay
• The English Patient: Picture [O], Director [O], Actor (Ralph Fiennes), Actress (Kristin Scott Thomas), Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche [O]), Adapted Screenplay, Original Dramatic Score [O], Editing [O], Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O], Sound [O]
• Evita: Original Song (“You Must Love Me”) [O], Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound
• Jerry Maguire: Picture, Actor (Tom Cruise), Supporting Actor (Cuba Gooding Jr.) [O], Original Screenplay, Film Editing
• Marvin’s Room: Actress (Diane Keaton)
• Secrets & Lies: Picture, Director, Actress (Brenda Blethyn), Supporting Actress (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), Original Screenplay
• Shine: Picture, Director, Actor (Geoffrey Rush) [O], Supporting Actor (Armin Mueller-Stahl), Original Screenplay, Original Dramatic Score, Editing
• Sling Blade: Actor (Billy Bob Thornton), Adapted Screenplay [O]

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 6-8, 1992

Weekend Box Office:

3. Fried Green Tomatoes – $3,933,105 ($52,433,849 total) {week 11}
4. Gladiator – $3,305,189 ($3,305,189 total) {week 1}
10. Beauty and the Beast – $1,902,842 ($118,460,773 total) {week 17}
13. The Prince of Tides – $1,169,539 ($68,001,463 total) {week 11}
999. Hook – $388,080 ($115,070,592 total) {week 13}
999. The Mambo Kings – $299,418 ($754,674 total) {week 2}

Oscar Details:

• Beauty and the Beast: Picture, Original Score [O], Original Song (“Be Our Guest”, “Beauty and the Beast” [O], “Belle”), Sound
• Fried Green Tomatoes: Supporting Actress (Jessica Tandy), Adapted Screenplay
• Gladiator: Picture [O], Director, Actor (Russell Crowe) [O], Supporting Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design [O], Sound [O], Visual Effects [O]
• Hook: Original Song (“When You’re Alone”), Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup, Visual Effects
• The Mambo Kings: Original Song (“Beautiful Maria of My Soul”)
• The Prince of Tides: Picture, Actor (Nick Nolte), Supporting Actress (Kate Nelligan), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Cinematography, Art Direction

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 6-8, 1987

Weekend Box Office:

3. Platoon – $6,109,812 ($84,585,081 total) {week 12}
7. Mannequin – $2,959,244 ($21,029,502 total) {week 4}
8. Hoosiers – $2,846,849 ($11,551,010 total) {week 7}
10. Crocodile Dundee – $1,454,603 ($153,720,911 total) {week 24}
11. Radio Days – $964,160 ($10,106,040 total) {week 6}

Oscar Details:

• Crocodile Dundee: Original Screenplay
• Hoosiers: Supporting Actor (Dennis Hopper), Original Score
• Mannequin: Original Song (“Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”)
• Platoon: Picture [O], Director [O], Supporting Actor (Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe), Original Screenplay, Editing [O], Cinematography, Sound [O]
• Radio Days: Original Screenplay, Art Direction

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 5-7, 1982

Weekend Box Office:

1. On Golden Pond – $5,507,123 ($55,887,548 total) {week 14}
2. Chariots of Fire – $2,229,501 ($17,490,000 total) {week 19}
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark – $1,665,000 ($194,974,748 total) {week 20}
8. Arthur – $805,000 ($86,919,765 total) {week 14}
9. Absence of Malice – $726,000 ($38,364,528 total) {week 16}

Oscar Details:

• Absence of Malice: Actor (Paul Newman), Supporting Actress (Melinda Dillon), Original Screenplay
• Arthur: Actor (Dudley Moore), Supporting Actor (John Gielgud) [O], Original Screenplay, Original Song (“Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)”) [O]
• Chariots of Fire: Picture [O], Director, Supporting Actor (Ian Holm), Original Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Editing, Costume Design [O]
• On Golden Pond: Picture, Director, Actor (Henry Fonda) [O], Actress (Katharine Hepburn) [O], Supporting Actress (Jane Fonda), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score, Editing, Cinematography, Sound
• Raiders of the Lost Ark: Picture, Director, Original Score, Editing [O], Cinematography, Art Direction [O], Sound [O], Sound Effects Editing [O], Visual Effects [O]