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

Mirror Mirror (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup.

Wrath of the Titans (Wide)

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

Bully (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Documentary Feature.

The Island President (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Documentary Feature.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 30-Apr. 1, 2007

Weekend Box Office:

17. The Lives of Others – $610,325 ($6,557,434 total) {week 8}
22. Norbit – $293,733 ($94,570,382 total) {week 8}
26. Happy Feet – $201,559 ($197,560,897 total) {week 20}
28. Pan’s Labyrinth – $169,624 ($36,947,126 total) {week 14}
34. The Last King of Scotland – $98,686 ($17,332,503 total) {week 27}
37. Blood Diamond – $65,681 ($57,312,489 total) {week 17}
40. The Queen – $52,950 ($56,109,603 total) {week 27}
41. After the Wedding – $47,311 ($47,311 total) {week 1}
47. Volver – $33,481 ($12,830,604 total) {week 22}
49. Notes on a Scandal – $31,030 ($17,394,784 total) {week 14}
51. Dreamgirls – $28,110 ($103,063,211 total) {week 16}
54. Little Children – $18,102 ($5,446,373 total) {week 26}
58. The Good German – $13,179 ($1,290,623 total) {week 16}
71. Letters from Iwo Jima – $7,458 ($13,660,616 total) {week 15}
72. Venus – $7,244 ($3,331,535 total) {week 15}
83. Days of Glory – $5,232 ($291,383 total) {week 17}
92. Iraq in Fragments – $2,843 ($169,288 total) {week 21}
97. The 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films – $2,041 ($316,309 total) {week 7}

Oscar Details:

• The 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films: Animated Short Film; Live Action Short Film
• After the Wedding: Foreign Language Film
• Blood Diamond: Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Supporting Actor (Djimon Hounsou), Editing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
• Days of Glory: Foreign Language Film
• 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
• 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. 29-31, 2002

Weekend Box Office:

2. Ice Age – $18,135,449 ($116,862,514 total) {week 3}
8. A Beautiful Mind – $3,884,455 ($160,844,681 total) {week 15}
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – $2,382,794 ($301,308,405 total) {week 15}
13. The Time Machine – $2,283,410 ($52,648,064 total) {week 4}
15. Monster’s Ball – $2,060,118 ($22,931,442 total) {week 14}
19. Gosford Park – $898,944 ($39,343,053 total) {week 14}
22. In the Bedroom – $449,290 ($35,099,830 total) {week 19}
23. Amelie – $438,751 ($31,106,754 total) {week 22}
25. Y Tu Mama Tambien – $366,248 ($1,614,920 total) {week 3}
27. Iris – $347,279 ($4,479,021 total) {week 16}
28. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – $251,516 ($316,440,684 total) {week 20}
32. I Am Sam – $195,673 ($39,871,928 total) {week 14}
41. Black Hawn Down – $128,953 ($108,500,629 total) {week 14}
43. Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius – $90,464 ($80,706,338 total) {week 15}
45. No Man’s Land – $68,648 ($864,811 total) {week 17}
50. Monsters, Inc. – $34,154 ($252,813,234 total) {week 22}
999. Mulholland Drive – $19,445 ($7,163,028 total) {week 25}

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)
• Ice Age: Animated Feature
• 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
• Mulholland Drive: Director
• No Man’s Land: Foreign Language Film [O]
• The Time Machine: Makeup
• Y Tu Mama Tambien: Original Screenplay

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 28-30, 1997

Weekend Box Office:

8. The English Patient – $3,019,179 ($67,599,231 total) {week 20}
11. Sling Blade – $2,172,206 ($15,879,157 total) {week 15}
12. Donnie Brasco – $1,760,300 ($39,102,861 total) {week 5}
13. Jerry Maguire – $1,647,901 ($145,443,291 total) {week 16}
17. Shine – $797,310 ($33,691,753 total) {week 19}
19. Kolya – $445,598 ($2,232,982 total) {week 11}
23. Secrets & Lies – $369,474 ($12,323,315 total) {week 16}
999. Evita – $261,511 ($49,145,752 total) {week 14}

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
• Kolya: Foreign Language Film
• 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. 27-29, 1992

Weekend Box Office:

2. Basic Instinct – $13,204,200 ($34,719,110 total) {week 2}
4. My Cousin Vinny – $5,315,543 ($25,160,152 total) {week 3}
7. Fried Green Tomatoes – $2,814,240 ($65,370,114 total) {week 14}
9. Beauty and the Beast – $1,782,762 ($125,315,925 total) {week 20}
999. The Prince of Tides – $721,173 ($71,240,929 total) {week 13}
999. Bugsy – $398,720 ($47,736,997 total) {week 14}
999. JFK – $385,043 ($68,347,460 total) {week 13}
999. Hook – $342,000 ($116,347,538 total) {week 16}
999. Howards End – $48,813 ($231,239 total) {week 3}

Oscar Details:

• Basic Instinct: Original Score, Editing
• Beauty and the Beast: Picture, Original Score [O], Original Song (“Be Our Guest”, “Beauty and the Beast” [O], “Belle”), Sound
• Bugsy: Picture, Director, Actor (Warren Beatty), Supporting Actor (Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Cinematography, Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O]
• Fried Green Tomatoes: Supporting Actress (Jessica Tandy), Adapted Screenplay
• Hook: Original Song (“When You’re Alone”), Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup, Visual Effects
• Howards End: Picture, Director, Actress (Emma Thompson) [O], Supporting Actress (Vanessa Redgrave), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score, Cinematography, Art Direction [O], Costume Design
• JFK: Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Editing [O], Cinematography [O], Sound
• My Cousin Vinny: Supporting Actress (Marisa Tomei) [O]
• 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. 27-29, 1987

Weekend Box Office:

3. Platoon – $3,944,114 ($102,889,459 total) {week 15}
7. Hoosiers – $1,743,278 ($20,316,170 total) {week 13}
8. Mannequin – $1,674,269 ($29,590,508 total) {week 7}
11. Crocodile Dundee – $1,151,751 ($158,938,371 total) {week 27}
999. Children of a Lesser God – $373,583 ($27,303,409 total) {week 17}
999. The Mission – $270,227 ($16,411,499 total) {week 18}
999. A Room with a View – $243,290 ($13,953,047 total) {week 10}

Oscar Details:

• Children of a Lesser God: Picture, Actor (William Hurt), Actress (Marlee Matlin [O]), Supporting Actress (Piper Laurie), Adapted Screenplay
• Crocodile Dundee: Original Screenplay
• Hoosiers: Supporting Actor (Dennis Hopper), Original Score
• Mannequin: Original Song (“Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”)
• The Mission: Picture, Director, Original Score, Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Costume Design
• Platoon: Picture [O], Director [O], Supporting Actor (Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe), Original Screenplay, Editing [O], Cinematography, Sound [O]
• A Room with a View: Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Denholm Elliott), Supporting Actress (Maggie Smith), Adapted Screenplay [O], Cinematography, Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O]

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Mar. 26-28, 1982

Weekend Box Office:

2. On Golden Pond – $5,480 ($77,580,000 total) {week 17}
6. Quest for Fire – $1,970,013 ($9,182,795 total) {week 7}
7. Chariots of Fire – $1,815,532 ($24,698,742 total) {week 25}
9. Absence of Malice – $514,406 ($40,716,963 total) {week 19}
12. Victor/Victoria – $129,882 ($361,754 total) {week 2}

Oscar Details:

• Absence of Malice: Actor (Paul Newman), Supporting Actress (Melinda Dillon), Original Screenplay
• 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
• Quest for Fire: Makeup [O]
• Victor/Victoria: Actress (Julie Andrews), Supporting Actor (Robert Preston), Supporting Actress (Lesley Ann Warren), Adapted Screenplay, Original Song Score [O], Art Direction, Costume Design