Oscar in Box Office History (Week 32, 2015)

Every week, we’ll take a look back in 5-year intervals in the box office past to explore how Oscar’s nominees were doing at the box office that 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 chance 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

Fantastic Four (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Visual Effects.

Ricki and the Flash (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Actress (Meryl Streep).

Shaun the Sheep Movie (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Animated Feature.

Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Animated Feature.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Aug. 6-8, 2010

Weekend Box Office:

Inception – $18,505,470 ($227,637,569 total) {week 4}
Salt – $10,908,204 ($91,788,345 total) {week 3}
Toy Story 3 – $3,119,088 ($396,387,342 total) {week 8}
The Kids Are All Right – $2,597,177 ($14,040,182 total) {week 5}
Ajami – $1,018 ($616,992 total) {week 27}
Winter’s Bone – $297,034 ($4,479,284 total) {week 9}
I Am Love – $198,874 ($3,935,015 total) {week 8}
Restrepo – $108,878 ($811,706 total) {week 7}
The Secret in Their Eyes – $31,316 ($6,261,681 total) {week 17}
Exit Through the Gift Shop – $20,864 ($3,114,884 total) {week 17}
Avatar – $10,511 ($749,766,139 total) {week 34}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Inception – $19,162,191 ($235,715,962 total)
Salt – $11,295,314 ($95,045,726 total)
Toy Story 3 – $3,229,778 ($410,454,320 total)
The Kids Are All Right – $2,689,346 ($14,538,439 total)
Ajami – $1,054 ($638,888 total)
Winter’s Bone – $307,575 ($4,638,245 total)
I Am Love – $205,932 ($4,074,661 total)
Restrepo – $112,742 ($840,512 total)
The Secret in Their Eyes – $32,427 ($6,483,895 total)
Exit Through the Gift Shop – $21,604 ($3,225,425 total)
Avatar – $10,884 ($776,373,809 total)

Oscar Details:

Ajami: Foreign Language Film
Avatar: Picture, Director, Original Score, Film Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects [O]
Exit Through the Gift Shop: Documentary Feature
I Am Love: Costume Design
Inception: Picture, Original Screenplay, Original Score, Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Sound Mixing [O], Sound Editing [O], Visual Effects [O]
The Kids Are All Right: Picture, Actress (Annette Bening), Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), Original Screenplay
Restrepo: Documentary Feature
Salt: Sound Mixing
The Secret in Their Eyes: Foreign Language Film
Toy Story 3: Picture, Animated Feature [O], Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“We Belong Together”) [O], Sound Editing
Winter’s Bone: Picture, Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Supporting Actor (John Hawkes), Adapted Screenplay

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Aug. 12-14, 2005

Weekend Box Office:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – $7,412,391 ($183,940,297 total) {week 5}
March of the Penguins – $6,848,205 ($37,723,310 total) {week 8}
War of the Worlds – $2,158,694 ($228,570,693 total) {week 7}
Batman Begins – $1,050,497 ($201,149,986 total) {week 9}
Hustle & Flow – $961,526 ($20,654,561 total) {week 4}
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – $331,226 ($378,461,703 total) {week 13}
Cinderella Man – $223,980 ($61,084,145 total) {week 11}
Crash – $138,859 ($52,772,342 total) {week 15}
Murderball – $134,803 ($1,120,863 total) {week 6}
Junebug – $124,926 ($265,682 total) {week 2}
Howl’s Moving Castle – $24,842 ($4,577,564 total) {week 10}
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room – $10,410 ($4,021,676 total) {week 17}
Darwin’s Nightmare – $7,461 ($24,605 total) {week 2}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – $9,447,618 ($234,444,965 total)
March of the Penguins – $8,728,523 ($48,081,036 total)
War of the Worlds – $2,751,409 ($291,329,573 total)
Batman Begins – $1,338,933 ($256,379,935 total)
Hustle & Flow – $1,225,533 ($26,325,704 total)
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – $422,171 ($482,376,305 total)
Cinderella Man – $285,478 ($77,856,079 total)
Crash – $176,986 ($67,262,096 total)
Murderball – $171,816 ($1,428,619 total)
Junebug – $159,227 ($338,631 total)
Howl’s Moving Castle – $31,663 ($5,834,430 total)
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room – $13,268 ($5,125,912 total)
Darwin’s Nightmare – $9,510 ($31,361 total)

Oscar Details:

Batman Begins: Cinematography
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Costume Design
Cinderella Man: Supporting Actor (Paul Giamatti), Editing, Makeup
Crash: Picture [O], Directing, Supporting Actor (Matt Dillon), Original Screenplay [O], Original Song (“In the Deep”), Editing [O]
Darwin’s Nightmare: Documentary Feature
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Documentary Feature
Howl’s Moving Castle: Animated Feature
Hustle & Flow: Actor (Terrence Howard), Original Song (“It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp”) [O]
Junebug: Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
March of the Penguins: Documentary Feature [O]
Murderball: Documentary Feature
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith: Makeup
War of the Worlds: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Aug. 11-13, 2000

Weekend Box Office:

Hollow Man – $13,048,132 ($50,304,216 total) {week 2}
Space Cowboys – $13,016,448 ($39,023,971 total) {week 2}
The Perfect Storm – $2,747,779 ($170,483,052 total) {week 7}
The Patriot – $1,454,323 ($108,357,881 total) {week 7}
Gladiator – $342,837 ($181,632,938 total) {week 15}
U-571 – $71,325 ($77,086,030 total) {week 17}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Hollow Man – $19,777,966 ($76,249,619 total)
Space Cowboys – $19,729,941 ($59,151,362 total)
The Perfect Storm – $4,165,001 ($258,413,086 total)
The Patriot – $2,204,419 ($164,245,619 total)
Gladiator – $519,662 ($275,313,748 total)
U-571 – $108,112 ($116,844,687 total)

Oscar Details:

Gladiator: Picture [O], Directing, Actor (Russell Crowe) [O], Supporting Actor (Joaquin Phoenix) [O], Original Screenplay, Original Score, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design [O], Sound [O], Visual Effects [O]
Hollow Man: Visual Effects
The Patriot: Original Score, Cinematography, Sound
The Perfect Storm: Sound, Visual Effects
Space Cowboys: Sound Editing
U-571: Sound, Sound Editing [O]

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Aug. 11-13, 1995

Weekend Box Office:

Waterworld – $8,603,140 ($60,618,305 total) {week 3}
Babe – $6,719,120 ($20,665,640 total) {week 2}
Apollo 13 – $5,006,730 ($147,428,420 total) {week 7}
Pocahontas – $1,443,224 ($132,739,562 total) {week 9}
Batman Forever – $456,544 ($177,713,627 total) {week 9}
Braveheart – $239,815 ($59,721,673 total) {week 12}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Waterworld – $16,158,081 ($113,850,931 total)
Babe – $12,619,589 ($38,813,397 total)
Apollo 13 – $9,403,445 ($276,894,297 total)
Pocahontas – $2,710,607 ($249,306,258 total)
Batman Forever – $857,463 ($333,774,789 total)
Braveheart – $450,411 ($112,166,912 total)

Oscar Details:

Apollo 13: Picture, Supporting Actor (Ed Harris), Supporting Actress (Kathleen Quinlan), Adapted Screenplay, Original Dramatic Score, Editing [O], Art Direction, Sound [O], Visual Effects
Babe: Picture, Directing, Supporting Actor (James Cromwell), Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Art Direction, Visual Effects [O]
Batman Forever: Cinematography, Sound, Sound Effects Editing
Braveheart: Picture [O], Directing [O], Original Screenplay, Original Dramatic Score, Editing, Cinematography [O], Costume Design, Makeup [O], Sound, Sound Effects Editing [O]
Pocahontas: Original Song (“Colors of the Wind”) [O], Original Musical or Comedy Score [O]
Waterworld: Sound

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Aug. 10-12, 1990

Weekend Box Office:

Flatliners – $10,034,685 ($10,034,685 total) {week 1}
Ghost – $9,453,230 ($85,477,046 total) {week 5}
Young Guns II – $4,709,199 ($21,281,157 total) {week 2}
Days of Thunder – $1,626,314 ($76,949,155 total) {week 7}
Metropolitan – $90,319 ($181,851 total) {week 2}
Total Recall – $847,175 ($114,055,915 total) {week 11}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Flatliners – $19,381,413 ($19,381,413 total)
Ghost – $18,258,366 ($165,093,964 total)
Young Guns II – $9,095,545 ($41,103,322 total)
Days of Thunder – $3,141,131 ($148,622,836 total)
Metropolitan – $174,446 ($351,235 total)
Total Recall – $1,636,269 ($220,292,394 total)

Oscar Details:

Days of Thunder: Sound
Flatliners: Sound Effects Editing
Ghost: Picture, Supporting Actress (Whoopi Goldberg) [O], Original Screenplay [O], Original Score, Editing
Metropolitan: Original Screenplay
Total Recall: Sound, Sound Effects Editing, Visual Effects (Special Achievement Award) [O]
Young Guns II: Original Song (“Blaze of Glory”)

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Aug. 9-11, 1985

Weekend Box Office:

Back to the Future – $8,074,395 ($95,626,695 total) {week 6}
Cocoon – $2,095,612 ($60,189,566 total) {week 8}
Silverado – $1,811,363 ($22,146,904 total) {week 5}
Rambo: First Blood Part II – $1,505,762 ($140,724,170 total) {week 12}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Back to the Future – $18,582,481 ($220,076,084 total)
Cocoon – $4,822,859 ($138,520,776 total)
Silverado – $4,168,686 ($50,969,072 total)
Rambo: First Blood Part II – $3,465,373 ($323,863,794 total)

Oscar Details:

Back to the Future: Original Screenplay, Original Song (“The Power of Love’), Sound, Sound Effects Editing [O]
Cocoon: Supporting Actor (Don Ameche) [O], Visual Effects [O]
Rambo: First Blood Part II: Sound Effects Editing
Silverado: Original Score, Sound