Oscar in Box Office History (Week 27, 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

The BFG (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Picture, Actor (Mark Rylance) Director, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Film Editing, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup & Hairstyling, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects.

The Legend of Tarzan (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Production Design, Costume Design, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jul. 8-10, 2011

Weekend Box Office:

Transformers: Dark of the Moon – $47,103,276 ($261,078,700 total) {week 2}
Midnight in Paris – $2,634,785 ($38,579,052 total) {week 8}
Bridesmaids – $2,628,285 ($158,142,030 total) {week 9}
Kung Fu Panda 2 – $865,109 ($159,014,430 total) {week 7}
The Tree of Life – $793,706 ($9,014,467 total) {week 7}
Beginners – $553,422 ($3,250,749 total) {week 6}
Rio – $413,317 ($141,282,076 total) {week 13}
A Better Life – $330,296 ($559,550 total) {week 3}
Incendies – $35,703 ($1,809,673 total) {week 12}
In a Better World – $12,075 ($923,556 total) {week 15}
Jane Eyre – $10,368 ($11,232,825 total) {week 18}
If a Tree Falls – $1,323 ($25,546 total) {week 3}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Transformers: Dark of the Moon – $48,528,848 ($268,980,199 total)
Midnight in Paris – $2,714,526 ($39,746,640 total)
Bridesmaids – $2,707,830 ($162,928,170 total)
Kung Fu Panda 2 – $891,291 ($163,826,973 total)
The Tree of Life – $817,727 ($9,287,288 total)
Beginners – $570,171 ($3,349,132 total)
Rio – $425,826 ($145,557,952 total)
A Better Life – $340,292 ($576,485 total)
Incendies – $36,784 ($1,864,442 total)
In a Better World – $12,440 ($951,507 total)
Jane Eyre – $10,682 ($11,572,784 total)
If a Tree Falls – $1,363 ($26,319 total)

Oscar Details:

Beginners: Supporting Actor (Christopher Plummer) [O]
A Better Life: Actor (Demian Bichir)
Bridesmaids: Supporting Actress (Melissa McCarthy), Original Screenplay
If a Tree Falls: Documentary Feature
In a Better World: Foreign Language Film [O]
Incendies: Foreign Language Film
Jane Eyre: Costume Design
Kung Fu Panda 2: Animated Feature
Midnight in Paris: Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay [O], Art Direction
Rio: Original Song (“Real in Rio”)
Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects
The Tree of Life: Picture, Directing, Cinematography

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jul. 7-9, 2006

Weekend Box Office:

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – $135,634,554 ($135,634,554 total) {week 1}
Superman Returns – $21,815,243 ($141,642,667 total) {week 2}
The Devil Wears Prada – $15,014,778 ($63,110,544 total) {week 2}
Click – $11,921,513 ($105,842,811 total) {week 3}
Cars – $10,734,082 ($205,908,484 total) {week 5}
An Inconvenient Truth – $1,172,984 ($15,050,824 total) {week 7}
Poseidon – $483,633 ($59,784,214 total) {week 9}
Water – $80,577 ($2,849,976 total) {week 11}
Sophie Scholl – $1,392 ($664,628 total) {week 21}
Tsotsi – $763 ($2,912,363 total) {week 20}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – $169,180,810 ($169,180,810 total)
Superman Returns – $27,210,769 ($176,674,899 total)
The Devil Wears Prada – $18,728,357 ($78,719,564 total)
Click – $14,870,040 ($132,020,728 total)
Cars – $13,388,924 ($256,835,468 total)
An Inconvenient Truth – $1,463,096 ($18,773,318 total)
Poseidon – $603,249 ($74,570,539 total)
Water – $100,506 ($3,554,856 total)
Sophie Scholl – $1,736 ($829,009 total)
Tsotsi – $952 ($3,632,673 total)

Oscar Details:

Cars: Animated Feature, Original Song (“Our Town”)
Click: Makeup
The Devil Wears Prada: Actress (Meryl Streep), Costume Design
An Inconvenient Truth: Original Song (“I Need to Wake Up” [O]), Documentary Feature [O]
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest: Art Direction, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects [O]
Poseidon: Visual Effects
Sophie Scholl: Foreign Language Film
Superman Returns: Visual Effects
Tsotsi: Foreign Language Film [O]
Water: Foreign Language Film

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jul. 6-8, 2001

Weekend Box Office:

A.I. Artificial Intelligence – $14,037,488 ($59,573,204 total) {week 2}
Shrek – $6,007,027 ($240,560,159 total) {week 8}
Pearl Harbor – $3,242,099 ($186,599,845 total) {week 7}
Moulin Rouge! – $1,352,672 ($50,951,493 total) {week 8}
Sexy Beast – $736,683 ($3,088,225 total) {week 4}
Memento – $490,136 ($21,372,479 total) {week 17}
Bridget Jones’ Diary – $220,344 ($70,845,805 total) {week 13}
Divided We Fall – $59,173 ($314,769 total) {week 5}
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – $40,857 ($45,373,027 total) {week 29}
Amores Perros – $36,449 ($5,383,834 total) {week 15}
Lagaan – $35,836 ($835,767 total) {week 4}
Everybody Famous! – $17,104 ($28,145 total) {week 1}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

A.I. Artificial Intelligence – $20,262,593 ($85,991,710 total)
Shrek – $8,670,921 ($347,239,664 total)
Pearl Harbor – $4,679,850 ($269,349,953 total)
Moulin Rouge! – $1,952,532 ($73,546,590 total)
Sexy Beast – $1,063,375 ($4,457,738 total)
Memento – $707,493 ($30,850,380 total)
Bridget Jones’ Diary – $318,058 ($102,263,291 total)
Divided We Fall – $85,414 ($454,357 total)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – $58,976 ($65,494,281 total)
Amores Perros – $52,613 ($7,771,365 total)
Lagaan – $51,728 ($1,206,399 total)
Everybody Famous! – $24,689 ($40,626 total)

Oscar Details:

A.I. Artificial Intelligence: Original Score, Visual Effects
Amores Perros: Foreign Language Film
Bridget Jones’ Diary: Actress (Renee Zellweger)
Divided We Fall: Foreign Language Film
Everybody Famous!: Foreign Language Film
Lagaan: Foreign Language Film
Memento: Original Screenplay, Film Editing
Moulin Rouge!: Picture, Actress (Nicole Kidman), Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O], Makeup, Sound
O Brother, Where Art Thou?: Cinematography
Pearl Harbor: Original Song (“There You’ll Be”), Sound, Sound Editing [O], Visual Effects
Sexy Beast: Supporting Actor (Ben Kingsley)
Shrek: Animated Feature [O], Adapted Screenplay

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jul. 5-7, 1996

Weekend Box Office:

Independence Day – $50,228,264 ($96,102,252 total) {week 1}
The Nutty Professor – $17,488,840 ($59,816,315 total) {week 2}
The Hunchback of Notre Dame – $8,892,937 ($65,096,195 total) {week 3}
Eraser – $8,790,009 ($70,872,789 total) {week 3}
The Rock – $6,385,082 ($110,306,972 total) {week 5}
Twister – $2,740,227 ($225,138,509 total) {week 9}
Dragonheart – $869,220 ($45,683,715 total) {week 6}
Lone Star – $600,247 ($1,687,584 total) {week 3}
Toy Story – $186,018 ($190,991,145 total) {week 33}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Independence Day – $92,842,741 ($177,636,968 total)
The Nutty Professor – $32,326,657 ($110,565,451 total)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame – $16,437,850 ($120,324,867 total)
Eraser – $16,247,596 ($131,002,418 total)
The Rock – $11,802,290 ($203,893,204 total)
Twister – $5,065,080 ($416,149,687 total)
Dragonheart – $1,606,680 ($84,442,523 total)
Lone Star – $1,109,506 ($3,119,358 total)
Toy Story – $343,839 ($353,031,144 total)

Oscar Details:

Dragonheart: Visual Effects
Eraser: Sound Effects Editing
The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Original Musical or Comedy Score
Independence Day: Sound, Visual Effects [O]
Lone Star: Original Screenplay
The Nutty Professor: Makeup [O]
The Rock: Sound
Toy Story: Original Screenplay, Original Song (“You’ve Got a Friend in Me”), Original Musical or Comedy Score
Twister: Sound, Visual Effects

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jul. 5-7, 1991

Weekend Box Office:

Terminator 2: Judgment Day – $31,765,506 ($52,306,548 total) {week 1}
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – $10,343,849 ($97,689,104 total) {week 4}
City Slickers – $8,200,660 ($74,615,421 total) {week 5}
Backdraft – $2,810,610 ($64,545,270 total) {week 7}
Thelma & Louise – $2,045,721 ($32,506,805 total) {week 7}
The Silence of the Lambs – $496,158 ($126,748,453 total) {week 21}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Terminator 2: Judgment Day – $61,644,699 ($101,507,006 total)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – $20,073,455 ($189,577,192 total)
City Slickers – $15,914,345 ($144,799,998 total)
Backdraft – $5,454,319 ($125,257,685 total)
Thelma & Louise – $3,969,962 ($63,083,277 total)
The Silence of the Lambs – $962,853 ($245,970,276 total)

Oscar Details:

Backdraft: Sound, Sound Effects Editing, Visual Effects
City Slickers: Supporting Actor (Jack Palance) [O]
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves: Original Song (“(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”)
The Silence of the Lambs: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actor (Anthony Hopkins) [O], Actress (Jodie Foster) [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Film Editing, Sound
Terminator 2: Judgment Day: Editing, Cinematography, Makeup [O], Sound [O], Sound Effects [O], Visual Effects [O]
Thelma & Louise: Directing, Actor (Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon), Original Screenplay [O], Film Editing, Cinematography