Oscar in Box Office History (Week 12, 2018)

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

Pacific Rim: Uprising (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Visual Effects.

Isle of Dogs (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Animated Feature.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 22-24, 2013

Weekend Box Office:

The Croods – $43,639,736 ($43,639,736 total) {week 1}
Silver Linings Playbook – $1,585,071 ($127,163,614 total) {week 19}
Life of Pi – $720,257 ($122,546,768 total) {week 18}
Django Unchained – $283,619 ($162,007,435 total) {week 13}
Lincoln – $217,555 ($18,809,335 total) {week 20}
No – $197,545 ($989,980 total) {week 6}
Wreck-It Ralph – $197,051 ($188,742,357 total) {week 21}
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – $178,205 ($302,695,938 total) {week 15}
The Gatekeepers – $170,606 ($1,589,300 total) {week 8}
Argo – $142,310 ($135,519,145 total) {week 24}
Zero Dark Thirty – $138,415 ($95,614,949 total) {week 14}
Les Miserables – $94,810 ($148,673,165 total) {week 13}
The Impossible – $76,890 ($18,736,345 total) {week 14}
Amour – $55,197 ($6,591,729 total) {week 14}
Searching for Sugar Man – $23,780 ($3,559,838 total) {week 35}
A Royal Affair – $12,619 ($1,471,829 total) {week 20}
War Witch – $7,204 ($37,902 total) {week 4}
Chasing Ice – $5,164 ($1,285,247 total) {week 19}
5 Broken Cameras – $194 ($102,534 total) {week 43}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The Croods – $47,933,929 ($47,933,929 total)
Silver Linings Playbook – $1,741,044 ($139,676,639 total)
Life of Pi – $791,131 ($134,605,491 total)
Django Unchained – $311,527 ($177,949,126 total)
Lincoln – $238,963 ($20,660,192 total)
No – $216,984 ($1,087,395 total)
Wreck-It Ralph – $216,441 ($207,314,791 total)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – $195,741 ($332,481,516 total)
The Gatekeepers – $187,394 ($1,745,689 total)
Argo – $156,313 ($148,854,362 total)
Zero Dark Thirty – $152,035 ($105,023,554 total)
Les Miserables – $104,139 ($163,302,751 total)
The Impossible – $84,456 ($20,580,020 total)
Amour – $60,628 ($7,240,362 total)
Searching for Sugar Man – $26,120 ($3,910,130 total)
A Royal Affair – $13,861 ($1,616,658 total)
War Witch – $7,913 ($41,632 total)
Chasing Ice – $5,672 ($1,411,717 total)
5 Broken Cameras – $213 ($112,623 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
Chasing Ice: Original Song (“Before My Time”)
The Croods: Animated Feature
Django Unchained: Picture, Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz) [O], Original Screenplay [O], Cinematography, Sound Editing
The Gatekeepers: Documentary Feature
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
No: Foreign Language Film
A Royal Affair: Foreign Language Film
Searching for Sugar Man: Documentary Feature [O]
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
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. 21-23, 2008

Weekend Box Office:

Juno – $769,842 ($141,099,121 total) {week 16}
The Counterfeiters – $496,625 ($1,851,862 total) {week 5}
In Bruges – $472,762 ($5,920,566 total) {week 7}
There Will Be Blood – $211,636 ($39,705,413 total) {week 13}
No Country for Old Men – $175,512 ($74,062,608 total) {week 20}
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – $50,998 ($5,875,116 total) {week 17}
Atonement – $46,720 ($50,830,581 total) {week 16}
Persepolis – $44,702 ($4,101,434 total) {week 13}
The Savages – $37,445 ($6,493,735 total) {week 17}
The Kite Runner – $31,810 ($15,752,605 total) {week 15}
La Vie en Rose – $20,211 ($10,271,397 total) {week 26}
Taxi to the Dark Side – $16,194 ($194,615 total) {week 10}
Beaufort – $5,012 ($74,956 total) {week 10}
War/Dance – $3,359 ($111,469 total) {week 16}
Into the Wild – $3,330 ($18,352,454 total) {week 27}
2007 Academy Award Nominated Short Films – $3,066 ($503,595 total) {week 6}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Juno – $957,478 ($175,489,575 total)
The Counterfeiters – $617,669 ($2,303,221 total)
In Bruges – $587,990 ($7,363,601 total)
There Will Be Blood – $263,219 ($49,382,916 total)
No Country for Old Men – $218,290 ($92,114,079 total)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – $63,428 ($7,307,073 total)
Atonement – $58,107 ($63,219,650 total)
Persepolis – $55,597 ($5,101,087 total)
The Savages – $46,572 ($8,076,470 total)
The Kite Runner – $39,563 ($19,592,028 total)
La Vie en Rose – $25,137 ($12,774,871 total)
Taxi to the Dark Side – $20,141 ($242,049 total)
Beaufort – $6,234 ($93,225 total)
War/Dance – $4,178 ($138,638 total)
Into the Wild – $4,142 ($22,825,545 total)
2007 Academy Award Nominated Short Films – $3,813 ($626,338 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
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
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
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. 21-23, 2003

Weekend Box Office:

Chicago – $6,176,021 ($134,014,534 total) {week 13}
The Pianist – $1,031,666 ($20,200,998 total) {week 13}
The Hours – $1,002,679 ($38,889,073 total) {week 13}
About Schmidt – $845,427 ($62,908,447 total) {week 15}
The Quiet American – $801,909 ($9,854,961 total) {week 18}
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – $768,554 ($334,790,872 total) {week 14}
Gangs of New York – $566,576 ($77,021,614 total) {week 14}
Catch Me If You Can – $364,361 ($163,321,694 total) {week 13}
Adaptation. – $290,405 ($21,523,932 total) {week 16}
Far From Heaven – $230,799 ($15,588,212 total) {week 20}
City of God – $224,168 ($2,756,619 total) {week 10}
Talk to Her – $211,038 ($7,942,916 total) {week 18}
Frida – $169,433 ($25,118,058 total) {week 22}
Bowling for Columbine – $156,550 ($19,550,172 total) {week 24}
The Wild Thornberrys Movie – $113,142 ($39,598,191 total) {week 14}
Nowhere in Africa – $111,495 ($263,978 total) {week 3}
My Big Fat Greek Wedding – $9,651 ($241,423,860 total) {week 49}
The Crime of Father Amaro – $9,649 ($5,688,787 total) {week 19}
Spirited Away – $5,011 ($5,616,071 total) {week 27}
Zus & Zo – $1,790 ($49,468 total) {week 7}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Chicago – $9,146,247 ($198,465,968 total)
The Pianist – $1,527,824 ($29,916,238 total)
The Hours – $1,484,896 ($57,591,944 total)
About Schmidt – $1,252,017 ($93,162,924 total)
The Quiet American – $1,187,570 ($14,594,494 total)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – $1,138,174 ($495,801,407 total)
Gangs of New York – $839,059 ($114,063,518 total)
Catch Me If You Can – $539,593 ($241,867,782 total)
Adaptation. – $430,069 ($31,875,408 total)
Far From Heaven – $341,797 ($23,085,030 total)
City of God – $331,977 ($4,082,356 total)
Talk to Her – $312,532 ($11,762,892 total)
Frida – $250,918 ($37,198,053 total)
Bowling for Columbine – $231,839 ($28,952,411 total)
The Wild Thornberrys Movie – $167,555 ($58,642,097 total)
Nowhere in Africa – $165,116 ($390,933 total)
My Big Fat Greek Wedding – $14,292 ($357,531,521 total)
The Crime of Father Amaro – $14,289 ($8,424,688 total)
Spirited Away – $7,421 ($8,317,001 total)
Zus & Zo – $2,651 ($73,259 total)

Oscar Details:

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. 20-22, 1998

Weekend Box Office:

Titanic – $17,165,239 ($494,514,331 total) {week 14}
Primary Colors – $12,045,395 ($12,045,395 total) {week 1}
Primary Colors – $12,045,395 ($12,045,395 total) {week 1}
Good Will Hunting – $4,026,752 ($115,597,415 total) {week 16}
As Good As It Gets – $3,260,123 ($125,803,127 total) {week 13}
L.A. Confidential – $1,496,331 ($57,505,024 total) {week 13}
The Apostle – $1,169,836 ($16,636,186 total) {week 10}
Amistad – $213,748 ($43,935,837 total) {week 15}
The Full Monty – $364,703 ($44,288,450 total) {week 25}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Titanic – $32,683,493 ($941,580,592 total)
Primary Colors – $22,935,048 ($22,935,048 total)
Primary Colors – $22,935,048 ($22,935,048 total)
Good Will Hunting – $7,667,142 ($220,103,394 total)
As Good As It Gets – $6,207,441 ($239,535,591 total)
L.A. Confidential – $2,849,091 ($109,492,508 total)
The Apostle – $2,227,428 ($31,676,149 total)
Amistad – $406,987 ($83,656,082 total)
The Full Monty – $694,413 ($84,327,475 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
The Full Monty: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Original Musical or Comedy Score [O]
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
Primary Colors: Supporting Actress (Kathy Bates), Adapted Screenplay
Primary Colors: Supporting Actress (Kathy Bates), Adapted Screenplay
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. 19-21, 1993

Weekend Box Office:

The Crying Game – $3,347,418 ($43,042,582 total) {week 17}
Aladdin – $1,895,852 ($193,441,909 total) {week 19}
Scent of a Woman – $1,203,705 ($50,806,259 total) {week 13}
Unforgiven – $561,027 ($81,706,102 total) {week 33}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The Crying Game – $7,220,397 ($92,843,057 total)
Aladdin – $4,089,362 ($417,255,132 total)
Scent of a Woman – $2,596,398 ($109,589,346 total)
Unforgiven – $1,210,138 ($176,240,457 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
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. 18-20, 1988

Weekend Box Office:

Good Morning, Vietnam – $4,030,848 ($96,624,788 total) {week 13}
Moonstruck – $2,324,615 ($52,614,427 total) {week 14}
The Last Emperor – $879,913 ($22,149,384 total) {week 18}
The Milagro Beanfield War – $47,271 ($47,271 total) {week 1}
Stand and Deliver – $611,372 ($1,146,512 total) {week 2}
The Unbearable Lightness of Being – $464,240 ($3,736,653 total) {week 7}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Good Morning, Vietnam – $8,758,023 ($209,941,449 total)
Moonstruck – $5,050,806 ($114,317,964 total)
The Last Emperor – $1,911,830 ($48,125,061 total)
The Milagro Beanfield War – $102,708 ($102,708 total)
Stand and Deliver – $1,328,358 ($2,491,083 total)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being – $1,008,677 ($8,118,811 total)

Oscar Details:

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]
The Milagro Beanfield War: Original Score [O]
Moonstruck: Picture, Director, Actress (Cher) [O], Supporting Actor (Vincent Gardenia), Supporting Actress (Olympia Dukakis) [O], Original Screenplay
Stand and Deliver: Actor (Edward James Olmos)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being: Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography

35 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 25-27, 1983

Weekend Box Office:

Tootsie – $3,127,164 ($143,212,352 total) {week 15}
Gandhi – $1,565,567 ($33,684,518 total) {week 16}
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – $536,129 ($338,601,802 total) {week 42}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Tootsie – $8,865,262 ($405,995,652 total)
Gandhi – $4,438,258 ($95,492,935 total)
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – $1,519,883 ($959,909,236 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
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