Oscar in Box Office History (Week 4, 2016)

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

Monster Hunt (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Animated Feature.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jan. 28-30, 2011

Weekend Box Office:

The King’s Speech – $11,064,781 ($72,179,688 total) {week 10}
True Grit – $7,518,265 ($148,305,900 total) {week 6}
Black Swan – $5,118,269 ($90,722,310 total) {week 9}
The Fighter – $3,960,280 ($78,278,204 total) {week 8}
Tron: Legacy – $2,529,097 ($166,732,184 total) {week 7}
Tangled – $2,526,561 ($189,576,785 total) {week 10}
127 Hours – $2,136,801 ($13,510,921 total) {week 13}
Country Strong – $1,274,454 ($18,806,281 total) {week 6}
Blue Valentine – $1,186,124 ($6,063,224 total) {week 5}
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I – $600,929 ($292,223,492 total) {week 11}
The Way Back – $523,600 ($2,174,889 total) {week 2}
Biutiful – $457,206 ($619,516 total) {week 1}
The Social Network – $444,533 ($96,020,437 total) {week 18}
Another Year – $309,097 ($1,102,236 total) {week 5}
Barney’s Version – $240,473 ($576,065 total) {week 3}
Rabbit Hole – $172,086 ($1,534,094 total) {week 7}
Inside Job – $115,832 ($3,674,183 total) {week 17}
The Illusionist – $80,599 ($370,984 total) {week 5}
Winter’s Bone – $30,190 ($6,308,485 total) {week 34}
Animal Kingdom – $6,154 ($1,030,288 total) {week 25}
The Tempest – $5,526 ($267,484 total) {week 8}
Waste Land – $3,556 ($123,727 total) {week 14}
Dogtooth – $1,098 ($92,679 total) {week 32}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The King’s Speech – $11,399,655 ($74,364,193 total)
True Grit – $7,745,804 ($152,794,351 total)
Black Swan – $5,273,172 ($93,468,004 total)
The Fighter – $4,080,137 ($80,647,280 total)
Tron: Legacy – $2,605,640 ($171,778,303 total)
Tangled – $2,603,027 ($195,314,292 total)
127 Hours – $2,201,471 ($13,919,827 total)
Country Strong – $1,313,025 ($19,375,450 total)
Blue Valentine – $1,222,022 ($6,246,726 total)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I – $619,116 ($301,067,583 total)
The Way Back – $539,447 ($2,240,712 total)
Biutiful – $471,043 ($638,266 total)
The Social Network – $457,987 ($98,926,478 total)
Another Year – $318,452 ($1,135,595 total)
Barney’s Version – $247,751 ($593,500 total)
Rabbit Hole – $177,294 ($1,580,523 total)
Inside Job – $119,338 ($3,785,381 total)
The Illusionist – $83,038 ($382,212 total)
Winter’s Bone – $31,104 ($6,499,410 total)
Animal Kingdom – $6,340 ($1,061,469 total)
The Tempest – $5,693 ($275,579 total)
Waste Land – $3,664 ($127,472 total)
Dogtooth – $1,131 ($95,484 total)

Oscar Details:

127 Hours: Picture, Actor (James Franco), Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“If I Rise”), Editing
Animal Kingdom: Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver)
Another Year: Original Screenplay
Barney’s Version: Makeup
Biutiful: Actor (Javier Bardem), Foreign Language Film
Black Swan: Picture, Direcing, Actress (Natalie Portman) [O], Editing, Cinematography
Blue Valentine: Actress (Michelle Williams)
Country Strong: Original Song (“Coming Home”)
Dogtooth: Foreign Language Film
The Fighter: Picture, Directing, Supporting Actor (Christian Bale) [O], Supporting Actress (Amy Adams, Melissa Leo [O]), Original Screenplay, Editing
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I: Art Direction, Visual Effects
The Illusionist: Animated Feature
Inside Job: Documentary Feature
The King’s Speech: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actor (Colin Firth) [O], Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), Original Screenplay [O], Original Score, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound Mixing
Rabbit Hole: Actress (Nicole Kidman)
The Social Network: Picture, Directing, Actor (Jesse Eisenberg), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Editing [O], Cinematography, Sound Mixing
Tangled: Original Song (“I See the Light”)
The Tempest: Costume Design
Tron: Legacy: Sound Editing
True Grit: Picture, Directing, Actor (Jeff Bridges), Supporting Actress (Hailee Steinfeld), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
Waste Land: Documentary Feature
The Way Back: Makeup
Winter’s Bone: Picture, Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Supporting Actor (John Hawkes), Adapted Screenplay

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jan. 27-29, 2006

Weekend Box Office:

Brokeback Mountain – $6,542,081 ($51,024,343 total) {week 8}
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – $4,504,990 ($277,867,308 total) {week 8}
Walk the Line – $3,032,741 ($106,120,470 total) {week 11}
Match Point – $2,742,713 ($13,833,732 total) {week 5}
The New World – $2,476,001 ($7,834,330 total) {week 6}
King Kong – $2,346,555 ($213,160,170 total) {week 7}
Munich – $1,670,810 ($40,647,785 total) {week 6}
Memoirs of a Geisha – $1,557,916 ($53,819,922 total) {week 8}
Syriana – $1,342,439 ($47,018,464 total) {week 10}
Capote – $695,441 ($15,305,837 total) {week 18}
Transamerica – $474,309 ($1,471,160 total) {week 9}
Mrs. Henderson Presents – $302,150 ($2,047,145 total) {week 8}
Pride & Prejudice – $291,987 ($37,431,575 total) {week 12}
Good Night, and Good Luck. – $181,307 ($25,134,582 total) {week 17}
The Squid and the Whale – $165,589 ($6,600,234 total) {week 17}
A History of Violence – $30,179 ($31,456,306 total) {week 19}
Paradise Now – $29,456 ($1,164,139 total) {week 14}
Darwin’s Nightmare – $3,448 ($115,359 total) {week 26}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Brokeback Mountain – $8,160,122 ($63,644,104 total)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – $5,619,201 ($346,591,741 total)
Walk the Line – $3,782,824 ($132,367,060 total)
Match Point – $3,421,063 ($17,255,205 total)
The New World – $3,088,386 ($9,771,981 total)
King Kong – $2,926,924 ($265,880,701 total)
Munich – $2,084,049 ($50,701,130 total)
Memoirs of a Geisha – $1,943,233 ($67,131,109 total)
Syriana – $1,674,462 ($58,647,458 total)
Capote – $867,443 ($19,091,403 total)
Transamerica – $591,619 ($1,835,019 total)
Mrs. Henderson Presents – $376,880 ($2,553,462 total)
Pride & Prejudice – $364,204 ($46,689,461 total)
Good Night, and Good Luck. – $226,149 ($31,351,074 total)
The Squid and the Whale – $206,544 ($8,232,658 total)
A History of Violence – $37,643 ($39,236,339 total)
Paradise Now – $36,741 ($1,452,063 total)
Darwin’s Nightmare – $4,301 ($143,891 total)

Oscar Details:

Brokeback Mountain: Picture, Directing [O], Actor (Heath Ledger), Supporting Actor (Jake Gyllenhaal), Supporting Actress (Michelle Williams), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Cinematography
Capote: Picture, Directing, Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman) [O], Supporting Actress (Catherine Keener), Adapted Screenplay
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Makeup [O], Sound Mixing, Visual Effects
Darwin’s Nightmare: Documentary Feature
Good Night, and Good Luck.: Picture, Directing, Actor (David Strathairn), Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction
A History of Violence: Supporting Actor (William Hurt), Adapted Screenplay
King Kong: Art Direction, Sound Mixing [O], Sound Editing [O], Visual Effects [O]
Match Point: Original Screenplay
Memoirs of a Geisha: Original Score, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O], Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
Mrs. Henderson Presents: Actress (Judi Dench), Costume Design
Munich: Picture, Directing, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Editing
The New World: Cinematography
Paradise Now: Foreign Language Film
Pride & Prejudice: Actress (Keira Knightley), Original Score, Art Direction, Costume Design
The Squid and the Whale: Original Screenplay
Syriana: Supporting Actor (George Clooney) [O], Original Screenplay
Transamerica: Actress (Felicity Huffman), Original Song (“Travelin’ Thru”)
Walk the Line: Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Actress (Reese Witherspoon) [O], Editing, Costume Design, Sound Mixing

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jan. 26-28, 2001

Weekend Box Office:

Cast Away – $8,091,349 ($193,243,499 total) {week 6}
Traffic – $6,461,920 ($56,188,074 total) {week 5}
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – $5,061,767 ($44,427,118 total) {week 8}
Chocolat – $3,356,291 ($17,425,255 total) {week 7}
The Emperor’s New Groove – $2,629,288 ($79,364,925 total) {week 7}
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – $2,265,580 ($12,541,024 total) {week 6}
Shadow of the Vampire – $1,888,827 ($2,462,451 total) {week 5}
Meet the Parents – $387,455 ($163,969,845 total) {week 17}
102 Dalmatians – $367,915 ($63,698,122 total) {week 10}
Billy Elliot – $203,835 ($19,072,125 total) {week 16}
You Can Count on Me – $173,905 ($5,868,487 total) {week 12}
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – $155,625 ($259,484,690 total) {week 11}
Quills – $132,561 ($5,589,615 total) {week 10}
Before Night Falls – $104,171 ($856,899 total) {week 6}
Malena – $101,320 ($1,392,363 total) {week 6}
Requiem for a Dream – $41,283 ($3,217,343 total) {week 17}
The Contender – $3,539 ($17,868,213 total) {week 16}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Cast Away – $11,679,562 ($278,939,821 total)
Traffic – $9,327,542 ($81,105,400 total)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – $7,306,473 ($64,128,896 total)
Chocolat – $4,844,682 ($25,152,709 total)
The Emperor’s New Groove – $3,795,280 ($114,560,325 total)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – $3,270,281 ($18,102,503 total)
Shadow of the Vampire – $2,726,452 ($3,554,457 total)
Meet the Parents – $559,277 ($236,684,388 total)
102 Dalmatians – $531,072 ($91,945,876 total)
Billy Elliot – $294,228 ($27,529,905 total)
You Can Count on Me – $251,025 ($8,470,943 total)
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – $224,639 ($374,556,522 total)
Quills – $191,347 ($8,068,402 total)
Before Night Falls – $150,367 ($1,236,902 total)
Malena – $146,252 ($2,009,824 total)
Requiem for a Dream – $59,590 ($4,644,115 total)
The Contender – $5,108 ($25,792,103 total)

Oscar Details:

102 Dalmatians: Costume Design
Before Night Falls: Actor (Javier Bardem)
Billy Elliot: Directing, Supporting Actress (Julie Walters), Original Screenplay
Cast Away: Actor (Tom Hanks), Sound
Chocolat: Picture, Actress (Juliette Binoche), Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score
The Contender: Actress (Joan Allen), Supporting Actor (Jeff Bridges)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Picture, Directing, Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“A Love Before Time”), Original Score [O], Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design, Foreign Language Film [O]
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup [O]
The Emperor’s New Groove: Original Song (“My Funny Friend and Me”)
Malena: Original Score, Cinematography
Meet the Parents: Original Song (“A Fool in Love”)
O Brother, Where Art Thou?: Cinematography
Quills: Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Art Direction, Costume Design
Requiem for a Dream: Actress (Ellen Burstyn)
Shadow of the Vampire: Supporting Actor (Willem Dafoe), Makeup
Traffic: Picture, Directing [O], Supporting Actor (Benicio Del Toro) [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Editing [O]
You Can Count on Me: Actress (Laura Linney), Original Screenplay

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jan. 26-28, 1996

Weekend Box Office:

Mr. Holland’s Opus – $8,297,082 ($20,343,980 total) {week 5}
12 Monkeys – $3,942,180 ($45,005,899 total) {week 5}
Sense and Sensibility – $2,907,705 ($17,918,347 total) {week 7}
Toy Story – $2,378,810 ($177,363,558 total) {week 10}
Dead Man Walking – $2,259,782 ($5,563,222 total) {week 5}
Leaving Las Vegas – $1,741,124 ($9,202,558 total) {week 14}
Sabrina – $1,684,973 ($48,734,834 total) {week 7}
Seven – $1,007,161 ($91,900,921 total) {week 19}
Braveheart – $2,589 ($67,045,034 total) {week 36}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Mr. Holland’s Opus – $15,336,462 ($37,604,144 total)
12 Monkeys – $7,286,790 ($83,189,637 total)
Sense and Sensibility – $5,374,649 ($33,120,564 total)
Toy Story – $4,397,031 ($327,841,690 total)
Dead Man Walking – $4,177,018 ($10,283,150 total)
Leaving Las Vegas – $3,218,322 ($17,010,158 total)
Sabrina – $3,114,532 ($90,082,261 total)
Seven – $1,861,653 ($169,871,159 total)
Braveheart – $4,786 ($123,927,133 total)

Oscar Details:

12 Monkeys: Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt), Costume Design
Braveheart: Picture [O], Directing [O], Original Screenplay, Original Dramatic Score, Editing, Cinematography [O], Costume Design, Makeup [O], Sound, Sound Effects Editing [O]
Dead Man Walking: Directing, Actor (Sean Penn), Actress (Susan Sarandon) [O], Original Song (“Dead Man Walkin’”)
Leaving Las Vegas: Directing, Actor (Nicolas Cage) [O], Actress (Elisabeth Shue), Adapted Screenplay
Mr. Holland’s Opus: Actor (Richard Dreyfuss)
Sabrina: Original Song (“Moonlight”), Original Musical or Comedy Score
Sense and Sensibility: Picture, Actress (Emma Thompson), Supporting Actress (Kate Winslet), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Dramatic Score, Cinematography, Costume Design
Seven: Editing
Toy Story: Original Screenplay, Original Song (“You’ve Got a Friend in Me”), Original Musical or Comedy Score

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jan. 25-27, 1991

Weekend Box Office:

Home Alone – $7,268,334 ($203,487,564 total) {week 11}
Awakenings – $4,885,543 ($26,525,139 total) {week 6}
Dances With Wolves – $4,306,517 ($92,388,450 total) {week 12}
The Grifters – $3,311,000 ($3,609,328 total) {week 8}
Green Card – $3,002,164 ($10,190,044 total) {week 6}
Hamlet – $2,415,838 ($7,444,856 total) {week 6}
Edward Scissorhands – $2,015,937 ($45,405,955 total) {week 8}
The Godfather, Part III – $1,792,120 ($58,907,394 total) {week 6}
Alice – $1,107,609 ($1,906,136 total) {week 6}
Misery – $1,031,983 ($51,754,068 total) {week 9}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Home Alone – $14,105,057 ($394,891,543 total)
Awakenings – $9,480,971 ($51,475,151 total)
Dances With Wolves – $8,357,303 ($179,290,650 total)
The Grifters – $6,425,385 ($7,004,325 total)
Green Card – $5,826,052 ($19,774,978 total)
Hamlet – $4,688,218 ($14,447,618 total)
Edward Scissorhands – $3,912,163 ($88,115,594 total)
The Godfather, Part III – $3,477,820 ($114,316,724 total)
Alice – $2,149,445 ($3,699,081 total)
Misery – $2,002,684 ($100,434,854 total)

Oscar Details:

Alice: Original Screenplay
Awakenings: Picture, Actor (Robert De Niro), Adapted Screenplay
Dances With Wolves: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actor (Kevin Costner), Supporting Actor (Graham Greene), Supporting Actress (Mary McDonnell), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Editing [O], Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound [O]
Edward Scissorhands: Makeup
The Godfather, Part III: Picture, Directing, Supporting Actor (Andy Garcia), Original Song, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction
Green Card: Original Screenplay
The Grifters: Directing, Actress (Anjelica Huston), Supporting Actress (Annette Bening), Adapted Screenplay
Hamlet: Art Direction, Costume Design
Home Alone: Original Song (“Somewhere in My Memory”), Original Score
Misery: Actress (Kathy Bates) [O]

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jan. 24-26, 1986

Weekend Box Office:

The Color Purple – $4,412,456 ($33,332,839 total) {week 6}
Out of Africa – $3,197,040 ($46,302,669 total) {week 6}
White Nights – $1,556,858 ($39,186,398 total) {week 10}
Twice in a Lifetime – $1,311,000 ($8,402,424 total) {week 14}
Back to the Future – $885,194 ($197,596,245 total) {week 30}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The Color Purple – $9,716,918 ($73,404,123 total)
Out of Africa – $7,040,382 ($101,965,716 total)
White Nights – $3,428,445 ($86,294,575 total)
Twice in a Lifetime – $2,887,027 ($18,503,451 total)
Back to the Future – $1,949,336 ($435,137,823 total)

Oscar Details:

Back to the Future: Original Screenplay, Original Song (“The Power of Love’), Sound, Sound Effects Editing [O]
The Color Purple: Picture, Actress (Whoopi Goldberg), Supporting Actress (Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey), Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)”)
Out of Africa: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actress (Meryl Streep), Supporting Actor (Klaus Maria Brandauer), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Film Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design, Sound [O]
Twice in a Lifetime: Supporting Actress (Amy Madigan)
White Nights: Original Song (“Say You, Say Me” [O], “Separate Lives (Love Theme from “White Nights”)”)