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
A Wrinkle in Time (Wide)
Oscar Potential: Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Film Editing, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup & Hairstyling, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects.
The Death of Stalin (Limited)
Oscar Potential: Original Screenplay.
5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 8-10, 2013
Weekend Box Office:
- Silver Linings Playbook – $3,618,171 ($120,622,513 total) {week 17}
- Life of Pi – $1,579,462 ($119,367,614 total) {week 16}
- Argo – $1,010,367 ($134,282,925 total) {week 22}
- Zero Dark Thirty – $673,810 ($94,628,369 total) {week 12}
- Django Unchained – $432,074 ($161,100,526 total) {week 11}
- Lincoln – $430,380 ($180,834,311 total) {week 18}
- Wreck-It Ralph – $404,141 ($187,906,932 total) {week 19}
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – $378,936 ($301,874,933 total) {week 13}
- Les Miserables – $307,455 ($148,136,220 total) {week 11}
- The Gatekeepers – $236,006 ($1,012,976 total) {week 6}
- Amour – $186,413 ($6,235,551 total) {week 12}
- No – $150,447 ($493,605 total) {week 4}
- The Impossible – $98,058 ($18,486,449 total) {week 12}
- Searching for Sugar Man – $44,218 ($3,464,553 total) {week 33}
- Skyfall – $40,701 ($304,360,277 total) {week 18}
- Beasts of the Southern Wild – $35,337 ($12,748,007 total) {week 37}
- A Royal Affair – $19,984 ($1,410,426 total) {week 18}
- Hitchcock – $9,190 ($6,002,708 total) {week 16}
- The Master – $6,360 ($16,373,892 total) {week 26}
- War Witch – $6,206 ($19,722 total) {week 2}
- The Sessions – $3,664 ($5,997,134 total) {week 21}
- 5 Broken Cameras – $391 ($101,784 total) {week 41}
Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):
- Silver Linings Playbook – $3,974,203 ($132,491,887 total)
- Life of Pi – $1,734,883 ($131,113,505 total)
- Argo – $1,109,788 ($147,496,497 total)
- Zero Dark Thirty – $740,114 ($103,939,894 total)
- Django Unchained – $474,591 ($176,952,976 total)
- Lincoln – $472,730 ($198,628,585 total)
- Wreck-It Ralph – $443,909 ($206,397,159 total)
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – $416,224 ($331,579,723 total)
- Les Miserables – $337,709 ($162,712,970 total)
- The Gatekeepers – $259,229 ($1,112,654 total)
- Amour – $204,756 ($6,849,135 total)
- No – $165,251 ($542,176 total)
- The Impossible – $107,707 ($20,305,534 total)
- Searching for Sugar Man – $48,569 ($3,805,468 total)
- Skyfall – $44,706 ($334,309,628 total)
- Beasts of the Southern Wild – $38,814 ($14,002,423 total)
- A Royal Affair – $21,950 ($1,549,213 total)
- Hitchcock – $10,094 ($6,593,380 total)
- The Master – $6,986 ($17,985,099 total)
- War Witch – $6,817 ($21,663 total)
- The Sessions – $4,025 ($6,587,258 total)
- 5 Broken Cameras – $429 ($111,800 total)
Oscar Details:
- 5 Broken Cameras: Documentary Feature
- Amour: Picture, Directing, Actress (Emmanuelle Riva), Original Screenplay, Foreign Language Film [O]
- Argo: Picture [O], Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin), Adapted Screenlay [O], Original Score, Film Editing [O], Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
- Beasts of the Southern Wild: Picture, Directing, Actress (Quvenzhane Wallis), Adapted Screenplay
- Django Unchained: Picture, Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz) [O], Original Screenplay [O], Cinematography, Sound Editing
- The Gatekeepers: Documentary Feature
- Hitchcock: Makeup and Hairstyling
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Production Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Visual Effects
- The Impossible: Actress (Naomi Watts)
- Les Miserables: Picture, Actor (Hugh Jackman), Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway) [O], Original Song (“Suddenly”), Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling [O], Sound Mixing [O]
- Life of Pi: Picture, Directing [O], Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“Pi’s Lullaby”), Original Score [O], Film Editing, Cinematography [O], Production Design, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects [O]
- Lincoln: Picture, Directing, Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) [O], Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones), Supporting Actress (Sally Field), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Film Editing, Cinematography, Production Design [O], Costume Design, Sound Mixing
- The Master: Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Supporting Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Supporting Actress (Amy Adams)
- No: Foreign Language Film
- A Royal Affair: Foreign Language Film
- Searching for Sugar Man: Documentary Feature [O]
- The Sessions: Actress (Helen Hunt)
- Silver Linings Playbook: Picture, Directing, Actor (Bradley Cooper), Actress (Jennifer Lawrence) [O], Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro), Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver), Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing
- Skyfall: Original Song (“Skyfall”) [O], Original Score, Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing [O]
- War Witch: Foreign Language Film
- Wreck-It Ralph: Animated Feature
- Zero Dark Thirty: Picture, Actress (Jessica Chastain), Original Screenplay, Film Editing, Sound Editing [O]
10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 7-9, 2008
Weekend Box Office:
- Juno – $1,968,057 ($137,937,208 total) {week 14}
- No Country for Old Men – $1,549,788 ($72,607,607 total) {week 18}
- There Will Be Blood – $649,414 ($38,740,358 total) {week 11}
- In Bruges – $518,908 ($4,548,837 total) {week 5}
- The Counterfeiters – $279,604 ($679,822 total) {week 3}
- Enchanted – $225,234 ($127,706,877 total) {week 16}
- Atonement – $155,314 ($50,558,834 total) {week 14}
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – $84,625 ($5,681,995 total) {week 15}
- The Savages – $82,343 ($6,336,173 total) {week 15}
- Persepolis – $81,832 ($3,929,918 total) {week 11}
- The Kite Runner – $81,764 ($15,588,994 total) {week 13}
- Michael Clayton – $64,988 ($48,976,323 total) {week 23}
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – $52,038 ($52,829,046 total) {week 12}
- La Vie en Rose – $38,841 ($10,189,568 total) {week 24}
- Taxi to the Dark Side – $14,870 ($152,997 total) {week 8}
- Into the Wild – $14,287 ($18,330,682 total) {week 25}
- 2007 Academy Award Nominated Short Films – $9,366 ($482,406 total) {week 4}
- War/Dance – $5,637 ($101,559 total) {week 14}
- Beaufort – $2,056 ($58,236 total) {week 8}
Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):
- Juno – $2,447,737 ($171,557,001 total)
- No Country for Old Men – $1,927,522 ($90,304,447 total)
- There Will Be Blood – $807,697 ($48,182,646 total)
- In Bruges – $645,383 ($5,657,537 total)
- The Counterfeiters – $347,753 ($845,517 total)
- Enchanted – $280,131 ($158,833,205 total)
- Atonement – $193,169 ($62,881,670 total)
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – $105,251 ($7,066,882 total)
- The Savages – $102,413 ($7,880,505 total)
- Persepolis – $101,777 ($4,887,767 total)
- The Kite Runner – $101,693 ($19,388,540 total)
- Michael Clayton – $80,828 ($60,913,449 total)
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – $64,721 ($65,705,206 total)
- La Vie en Rose – $48,308 ($12,673,098 total)
- Taxi to the Dark Side – $18,494 ($190,287 total)
- Into the Wild – $17,769 ($22,798,467 total)
- 2007 Academy Award Nominated Short Films – $11,649 ($599,984 total)
- War/Dance – $7,011 ($126,312 total)
- Beaufort – $2,557 ($72,430 total)
Oscar Details:
- 2007 Academy Award Nominated Short Films: Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film
- Atonement: Picture, Supporting Actress (Saoirse Ronan), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score [O], Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design
- Beaufort: Foreign Language Film
- The Counterfeiters: Foreign Language Film [O]
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: Director, Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography
- Enchanted: Original Song (“Happy Working Song”), Original Song (“So Close”), Original Song (“That’s How You Know”)
- In Bruges: Original Screenplay
- Into the Wild: Supporting Actor (Hal Holbrook), Editing
- Juno: Picture, Director, Actress (Ellen Page), Original Screenplay [O]
- The Kite Runner: Original Score
- Michael Clayton: Picture, Director, Actor (George Clooney), Supporting Actor (Tom Wilkinson), Supporting Actress (Tilda Swinton) [O], Original Screenplay, Original Score
- No Country for Old Men: Picture [O], Director [O], Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem) [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Editing, Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
- Persepolis: Animated Feature
- The Savages: Actress (Laura Linney), Original Screenplay
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: Actor (Johnny Depp), Art Direction [O], Costume Design
- Taxi to the Dark Side: Documentary Feature [O]
- There Will Be Blood: Picture, Director, Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) [O], Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Sound Editing
- La Vie en Rose: Actress (Marion Cotillard) [O], Costume Design, Makeup [O]
- War/Dance: Documentary Feature
15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 7-9, 2003
Weekend Box Office:
- Chicago – $6,844,634 ($114,442,185 total) {week 11}
- The Hours – $1,475,801 ($35,303,998 total) {week 11}
- The Pianist – $1,393,292 ($16,779,231 total) {week 11}
- About Schmidt – $1,376,030 ($60,007,505 total) {week 13}
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – $1,227,603 ($332,075,527 total) {week 12}
- The Quiet American – $1,153,381 ($7,291,271 total) {week 16}
- Gangs of New York – $518,916 ($75,469,504 total) {week 12}
- Adaptation. – $358,183 ($20,624,783 total) {week 14}
- Catch Me If You Can – $338,851 ($162,459,578 total) {week 11}
- Talk to Her – $274,730 ($7,241,289 total) {week 16}
- City of God – $241,284 ($2,006,001 total) {week 8}
- Far From Heaven – $220,198 ($14,940,014 total) {week 18}
- Bowling for Columbine – $162,715 ($19,100,026 total) {week 22}
- Frida – $147,333 ($24,527,488 total) {week 20}
- The Wild Thornberrys Movie – $74,437 ($39,291,670 total) {week 12}
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding – $71,321 ($241,356,536 total) {week 47}
- The Crime of Father Amaro – $35,508 ($5,631,307 total) {week 17}
- 8 Mile – $22,540 ($116,724,075 total) {week 18}
- Nowhere in Africa – $22,070 ($22,070 total) {week 1}
- Spirited Away – $6,931 ($5,601,243 total) {week 25}
- Zus & Zo – $3,877 ($42,244 total) {week 5}
Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):
- Chicago – $10,136,415 ($169,480,715 total)
- The Hours – $2,185,556 ($52,282,704 total)
- The Pianist – $2,063,366 ($24,848,845 total)
- About Schmidt – $2,037,802 ($88,866,836 total)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – $1,817,993 ($491,780,175 total)
- The Quiet American – $1,708,075 ($10,797,852 total)
- Gangs of New York – $768,478 ($111,764,954 total)
- Adaptation. – $530,443 ($30,543,833 total)
- Catch Me If You Can – $501,814 ($240,591,050 total)
- Talk to Her – $406,856 ($10,723,833 total)
- City of God – $357,324 ($2,970,744 total)
- Far From Heaven – $326,098 ($22,125,095 total)
- Bowling for Columbine – $240,969 ($28,285,776 total)
- Frida – $218,190 ($36,323,461 total)
- The Wild Thornberrys Movie – $110,236 ($58,188,161 total)
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding – $105,621 ($357,431,819 total)
- The Crime of Father Amaro – $52,585 ($8,339,564 total)
- 8 Mile – $33,380 ($172,860,031 total)
- Nowhere in Africa – $32,684 ($32,684 total)
- Spirited Away – $10,264 ($8,295,041 total)
- Zus & Zo – $5,742 ($62,560 total)
Oscar Details:
- 8 Mile: Original Song (“Lose Yourself”) [O]
- About Schmidt: Actor (Jack Nicholson), Supporting Actress (Kathy Bates)
- Adaptation.: Actor (Nicoals Cage), Supporting Actor (Chris Cooper) [O], Supporting Actress (Meryl Streep), Adapted Screenplay
- Bowling for Columbine: Documentary Feature [O]
- Catch Me If You Can: Supporting Actor (Christopher Walken), Original Score
- Chicago: Picture [O], Director, Actress (Renee Zellweger), Supporting Actor (John C. Reilly), Supporting Actress (Catherine Zeta-Jones [O], Queen Latifah), Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“I Move On”), Editing [O], Cinematography, Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O], Sound [O]
- City of God: Director, Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography
- The Crime of Father Amaro: Foreign Language Film
- Far From Heaven: Actress (Julianne Moore), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Cinematography
- Frida: Actress, Original Score [O], Original Song (“Burn It Blue”), Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup [O]
- Gangs of New York: Picture, Director, Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), Original Screenplay, Original Song (“The Hands That Built America”), Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound
- The Hours: Picture, Director, Actress (Nicole Kidman) [O], Supporting Actor (Ed Harris), Supporting Actress (Julianne Moore), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Editing, Costume Design
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Picture, Editing, Art Direction, Sound, Sound Editing [O], Visual Effects [O]
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding: Original Screenplay
- Nowhere in Africa: Foreign Language Film [O]
- The Pianist: Picture, Director [O], Actor (Adrien Brody) [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Editing, Cinematography, Costume Design
- The Quiet American: Actor (Michael Caine)
- Spirited Away: Animated Feature [O]
- Talk to Her: Director, Original Screenplay [O]
- The Wild Thornberrys Movie: Original Song (“Father and Daughter”)
- Zus & Zo: Foreign Language Film
20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 6-8, 1998
Weekend Box Office:
- Titanic – $17,605,849 ($449,157,395 total) {week 12}
- Good Will Hunting – $5,175,514 ($103,427,470 total) {week 14}
- As Good As It Gets – $3,220,350 ($117,231,402 total) {week 11}
- The Apostle – $1,512,756 ($13,231,775 total) {week 8}
- L.A. Confidential – $1,421,752 ($53,492,067 total) {week 11}
- Amistad – $114,550 ($43,222,082 total) {week 13}
Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):
- Titanic – $33,522,437 ($855,218,665 total)
- Good Will Hunting – $9,854,444 ($196,931,196 total)
- As Good As It Gets – $6,131,711 ($223,214,588 total)
- The Apostle – $2,880,365 ($25,193,977 total)
- L.A. Confidential – $2,707,089 ($101,851,633 total)
- Amistad – $218,109 ($82,297,056 total)
Oscar Details:
- Amistad: Supporting Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Original Score, Cinematography, Costume Design
- The Apostle: Actor (Robert Duvall)
- As Good As It Gets: Picture, Actor (Jack Nicholson) [O], Actress (Helen Hunt) [O], Supporting Actor (Greg Kinnear), Original Screenplay, Original Musical or Comedy Score, Editing
- Good Will Hunting: Picture, Director, Actor (Matt Damon), Supporting Actor (Robin Williams) [O], Supporting Actress (Minnie Driver), Original Screenplay [O], Original Dramatic Score, Original Song (“Miss Misery”), Editing
- L.A. Confidential: Picture, Director, Supporting Actress (Kim Basinger) [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Dramatic Score, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound
- Titanic: Picture [O], Director [O], Actress (Kate Winslet), Supporting Actress (Gloria Stuart), Original Dramatic Score [O], Original Song (“My Heart Will Go On”) [O], Editing [O], Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O], Makeup, Sound [O], Sound Editing [O], Visual Effects [O]
25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 5-7, 1993
Weekend Box Office:
- The Crying Game – $4,292,561 ($33,831,016 total) {week 15}
- Aladdin – $2,834,359 ($187,926,542 total) {week 17}
- Scent of a Woman – $1,727,075 ($47,427,249 total) {week 11}
- A Few Good Men – $1,253,355 ($131,165,860 total) {week 13}
- Unforgiven – $835,059 ($80,120,695 total) {week 31}
Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):
- The Crying Game – $9,259,075 ($72,973,665 total)
- Aladdin – $6,113,726 ($405,358,459 total)
- Scent of a Woman – $3,725,309 ($102,300,805 total)
- A Few Good Men – $2,703,493 ($282,925,394 total)
- Unforgiven – $1,801,226 ($172,820,726 total)
Oscar Details:
- Aladdin: Original Song (“A Whole New World” [O], “Friend Like Me”), Original Score [O], Sound, Sound Effects
- The Crying Game: Picture, Director, Actor (Stephen Rea), Supporting Actor (Jaye Davidson), Original Screenplay [O], Editing
- A Few Good Men: Picture, Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson), Editing, Sound
- Scent of a Woman: Picture, Director, Actor (Al Pacino) [O], Adapted Screenplay
- Unforgiven: Picture [O], Director [O], Actor (Clint Eastwood), Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman) [O], Original Screenplay, Editing [O], Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound
30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 4-6, 1988
Weekend Box Office:
- Good Morning, Vietnam – $5,141,491 ($85,203,373 total) {week 11}
- Moonstruck – $3,287,038 ($45,670,253 total) {week 12}
- The Last Emperor – $1,342,857 ($19,458,722 total) {week 16}
- Broadcast News – $1,136,401 ($44,113,177 total) {week 12}
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being – $576,735 ($2,312,233 total) {week 5}
Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):
- Good Morning, Vietnam – $11,171,171 ($185,125,577 total)
- Moonstruck – $7,141,910 ($99,230,014 total)
- The Last Emperor – $2,917,692 ($42,278,926 total)
- Broadcast News – $2,469,115 ($95,846,878 total)
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being – $1,253,101 ($5,023,903 total)
Oscar Details:
- Broadcast News: Picture, Actor (William Hurt), Actress (Holly Hunter), Supporting Actor (Albert Brooks), Original Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography
- Good Morning, Vietnam: Actor (Robin Williams)
- The Last Emperor: Picture [O], Director [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Editing [O], Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O], Sound [O]
- Moonstruck: Picture, Director, Actress (Cher) [O], Supporting Actor (Vincent Gardenia), Supporting Actress (Olympia Dukakis) [O], Original Screenplay
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being: Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography
35 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 11-13, 1983
Weekend Box Office:
- Tootsie – $4,044,440 ($133,976,164 total) {week 13}
- Gandhi – $2,265,483 ($28,429,296 total) {week 14}
- Sophie’s Choice – $1,197,669 ($18,706,669 total) {week 13}
- The Verdict – $919,040 ($48,331,408 total) {week 14}
- The Year of Living Dangerously – $802,753 ($5,859,927 total) {week 8}
- E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – $730,988 ($336,811,284 total) {week 40}
- Tender Mercies – $50,933 ($118,029 total) {week 2}
Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):
- Tootsie – $11,465,666 ($379,811,792 total)
- Gandhi – $6,422,465 ($80,594,798 total)
- Sophie’s Choice – $3,395,297 ($53,031,922 total)
- The Verdict – $2,605,405 ($137,015,706 total)
- The Year of Living Dangerously – $2,275,741 ($16,612,428 total)
- E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – $2,072,293 ($954,833,259 total)
- Tender Mercies – $144,391 ($334,603 total)
Oscar Details:
- E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Original Score [O], Editing, Cinematography, Sound [O], Sound Effects [O], Visual Effects [O]
- Gandhi: Picture [O], Director [O], Actor (Ben Kingsley) [O], Original Screenplay [O], Original Score, Editing [O], Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O], Makeup, Sound
- Sophie’s Choice: Actress (Meryl Streep) [O], Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Cinematography, Costume Design
- Tender Mercies: Picture, Director, Actor (Robert Duvall) [O], Original Screenplay [O], Original Song (“Over You”)
- Tootsie: Picture, Director, Actor (Dustin Hoffman), Supporting Actress (Teri Garr), Supporting Actress (Jessica Lange) [O], Original Screenplay, Original Song (“It Might Be You”), Editing, Cinematography, Sound
- The Verdict: Picture, Director, Actor (Paul Newman), Supporting Actor (James Mason), Adapted Screenplay
- The Year of Living Dangerously: Supporting Actress [O]
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