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

Prometheus (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Original Score, Art Direction, Makeup, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects.

Bel Ami (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Art Direction, Costume Design.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of June 8-10, 2007

Weekend Box Office:

2. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – $21,143,905 ($253,441,723 total) {week 3}
4. Surf’s Up – $17,640,249 ($17,640,249 total) {week 1}
12. Once – $494,340 ($1,739,619 total) {week 4}
16. Away from Her – $301,136 ($3,735,014 total) {week 6}
20. La Vie en Rose – $179,848 ($2,046,848 total) {week 1}
35. The Lives of Others – $73,097 ($10,508,023 total) {week 18}
46. After the Wedding – $43,870 ($1,363,868 total) {week 11}
83. Pan’s Labyrinth – $4,247 ($37,623,143 total) {week 24}
103. Iraq in Fragments – $1,390 ($199,648 total) {week 31}

Oscar Details:

• After the Wedding: Foreign Language Film
• Away from Her: Actress (Julie Christie), Adapted Screenplay
• Iraq in Fragments: Documentary Feature
• The Lives of Others: Foreign Language Film
• Once: Original Song [O]
• Pan’s Labyrinth: Original Screenplay, Original Score, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Makeup [O], Foreign Language Film
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End: Makeup, Visual Effects
• Surf’s Up: Animated Feature
• La Vie en Rose: Actress [O], Costume Design, Makeup [O]

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of June 7-9, 2002

Weekend Box Office:

3. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones – $14,011,713 ($255,106,406 total) {week 4}
5. Spider-Man – $10,311,062 ($370,428,183 total) {week 6}
6. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron – $9,303,808 ($53,648,859 total) {week 3}
10. About a Boy – $2,653,520 ($32,448,670 total) {week 4}
11. Unfaithful – $1,761,814 ($48,902,958 total) {week 5}
12. My Big Fat Greek Wedding – $1,688,563 ($11,002,602 total) {week 8}
17. Monsters, Inc. – $272,111 ($254,750,332 total) {week 32}
18. Y Tu Mama Tambien – $269,611 ($12,031,045 total) {week 13}
19. Ice Age – $252,219 ($173,812,047 total) {week 13}
23. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – $223,059 ($311,407,091 total) {week 25}
60. Amelie – $11,634 ($33,091,638 total) {week 32}
64. The Royal Tenenbaums – $10,763 ($52,332,741 total) {week 26}

Oscar Details:

• About a Boy: Adapted Screenplay
• Amelie: Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound, Foreign Language Film
• Ice Age: 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]
• Monsters, Inc.: Animated Feature, Original Song (If I Didn’t Have You [O]), Original Score, Sound Editing
• My Big Fat Greek Wedding: Original Screenplay
• The Royal Tenenbaums: Original Screenplay
• Spider-Man: Sound, Visual Effects
• Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron: Animated Feature
• Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones: Visual Effects
• Unfaithful: Actress (Diane Lane)
• Y Tu Mama Tambien: Original Screenplay

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of June 6-8, 1997

Weekend Box Office:

1. Con Air – $24,131,738 ($24,131,738 total) {week 1}
2. The Lost World: Jurassic Park – $18,564,605 ($171,103,734 total) {week 3}

Oscar Details:

• Con Air: Original Song (“How Do I Live”), Sound
• The Lost World: Jurassic Park: Visual Effects

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of June 5-7, 1992

Weekend Box Office:

6. Alien 3 – $4,011,555 ($42,107,939 total) {week 3}
8. Basic Instinct – $1,509,950 ($103,845,824 total) {week 12}
10. Fried Green Tomatoes – $921,905 (Unknown total) {week 17}
11. Beauty and the Beast – $898,742 ($138,800,774 total) {week 26}
12. The Player – $800,150 ($15,128,912 total) {week 9}
999. Howards End – $418,849 ($4,737,198 total) {week 13}

Oscar Details:

• Alien 3: Visual Effects
• 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
• Fried Green Tomatoes: Supporting Actress (Jessica Tandy), Adapted Screenplay
• Howards End: Picture, Director, Actress (Emma Thompson) [O], Supporting Actress (Vanessa Redgrave), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score, Cinematography, Art Direction [O], Costume Design
• The Player: Director, Adapted Screenplay, Editing

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of June 5-7, 1987

Weekend Box Office:

1. Beverly Hills Cop II – $12,424,035 ($83,979,834 total) {week 3}
2. The Untouchables – $10,023,094 ($10,023,094 total) {week 1}
3. Harry and the Hendersons – $4,154,740 ($4,154,740 total) {week 1}
9. Platoon – $784,403 ($131,755,562 total) {week 25}
12. Crocodile Dundee – $645,305 ($169,927,618 total) {week 36}

Oscar Details:

• Beverly Hills Cop II: Original Song (“Shakedown”)
• Crocodile Dundee: Original Screenplay
• Harry and the Hendersons: Makeup [O]
• Platoon: Picture [O], Director [O], Supporting Actor (Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe), Original Screenplay, Editing [O], Cinematography, Sound [O]
• The Untouchables: Supporting Actor (Sean Connery) [O], Original Score, Art Direction, Costume Design

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of June 4-6, 1982

Weekend Box Office:

2. Rocky III – $10,028,555 ($30,860,483 total) {week 2}
3. Poltergeist – $6,896,612 ($6,896,612 total) {week 1}
11. Chariots of Fire – $912,404 ($54,545,413 total) {week 37}
12. Victor/Victoria – $783,783 ($20,491,256 total) {week 12}
13. Annie – $414,685 ($2,158,219 total) {week 3}
15. Diner – $241,729 ($999,624 total) {week 14}

Oscar Details:

• Annie: Original Song Score, Art Direction
• Chariots of Fire: Picture [O], Director, Supporting Actor (Ian Holm), Original Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Editing, Costume Design [O]
• Diner: Original Screenplay
• Poltergeist: Original Score, Sound Editing, Visual Effects
• Rocky III: Original Song (“Eye of the Tiger”)
• Victor/Victoria: Actress (Julie Andrews), Supporting Actor (Robert Preston), Supporting Actress (Lesley Ann Warren), Adapted Screenplay, Original Song Score [O], Art Direction, Costume Design