Oscar in Box Office History (Week 3, 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

None

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jan. 21-23, 2011

Weekend Box Office:

The King’s Speech – $7,854,910 ($57,313,881 total) {week 9}
True Grit – $7,330,092 ($137,963,519 total) {week 5}
Black Swan – $5,869,744 ($83,250,375 total) {week 8}
The Fighter – $4,164,504 ($72,680,740 total) {week 7}
Tron: Legacy – $3,647,121 ($163,206,611 total) {week 6}
Tangled – $3,081,926 ($186,356,425 total) {week 9}
Country Strong – $2,082,688 ($16,845,052 total) {week 5}
The Way Back – $1,218,868 ($1,218,868 total) {week 1}
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I – $898,271 ($291,340,768 total) {week 10}
Blue Valentine – $877,815 ($4,460,022 total) {week 4}
The Social Network – $444,086 ($95,408,473 total) {week 17}
Another Year – $208,366 ($714,387 total) {week 4}
Rabbit Hole – $177,591 ($1,268,041 total) {week 6}
Barney’s Version – $143,010 ($285,213 total) {week 2}
127 Hours – $118,557 ($11,296,805 total) {week 12}
The Illusionist – $60,472 ($254,265 total) {week 4}
Inside Job – $24,248 ($3,660,812 total) {week 16}
The Tempest – $5,328 ($258,557 total) {week 7}
Winter’s Bone – $4,020 ($6,271,090 total) {week 33}
Animal Kingdom – $843 ($1,023,849 total) {week 24}
Dogtooth – $393 ($91,234 total) {week 31}
Waste Land – $2,396 ($116,700 total) {week 13}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The King’s Speech – $8,092,637 ($59,048,475 total)
True Grit – $7,551,936 ($142,138,960 total)
Black Swan – $6,047,391 ($85,769,932 total)
The Fighter – $4,290,542 ($74,880,409 total)
Tron: Legacy – $3,757,500 ($168,146,029 total)
Tangled – $3,175,200 ($191,996,468 total)
Country Strong – $2,145,720 ($17,354,864 total)
The Way Back – $1,255,757 ($1,255,757 total)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I – $925,457 ($300,158,143 total)
Blue Valentine – $904,382 ($4,595,004 total)
The Social Network – $457,526 ($98,295,993 total)
Another Year – $214,672 ($736,008 total)
Rabbit Hole – $182,966 ($1,306,418 total)
Barney’s Version – $147,338 ($293,845 total)
127 Hours – $122,145 ($11,638,701 total)
The Illusionist – $62,302 ($261,960 total)
Inside Job – $24,982 ($3,771,606 total)
The Tempest – $5,489 ($266,382 total)
Winter’s Bone – $4,142 ($6,460,883 total)
Animal Kingdom – $869 ($1,054,836 total)
Dogtooth – $405 ($93,995 total)
Waste Land – $2,469 ($120,232 total)

Oscar Details:

127 Hours: Picture, Actor (James Franco), Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“If I Rise”), Editing
Animal Kingdom: Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver)
Another Year: Original Screenplay
Barney’s Version: Makeup
Black Swan: Picture, Direcing, Actress (Natalie Portman) [O], Editing, Cinematography
Blue Valentine: Actress (Michelle Williams)
Country Strong: Original Song (“Coming Home”)
Dogtooth: Foreign Language Film
The Fighter: Picture, Directing, Supporting Actor (Christian Bale) [O], Supporting Actress (Amy Adams, Melissa Leo [O]), Original Screenplay, Editing
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I: Art Direction, Visual Effects
The Illusionist: Animated Feature
Inside Job: Documentary Feature
The King’s Speech: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actor (Colin Firth) [O], Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), Original Screenplay [O], Original Score, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound Mixing
Rabbit Hole: Actress (Nicole Kidman)
The Social Network: Picture, Directing, Actor (Jesse Eisenberg), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Editing [O], Cinematography, Sound Mixing
Tangled: Original Song (“I See the Light”)
The Tempest: Costume Design
Tron: Legacy: Sound Editing
True Grit: Picture, Directing, Actor (Jeff Bridges), Supporting Actress (Hailee Steinfeld), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
Waste Land: Documentary Feature
The Way Back: Makeup
Winter’s Bone: Picture, Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Supporting Actor (John Hawkes), Adapted Screenplay

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jan. 20-22, 2006

Weekend Box Office:

Brokeback Mountain – $7,430,942 ($41,730,237 total) {week 7}
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – $6,236,570 ($271,852,138 total) {week 7}
King Kong – $4,222,560 ($209,875,885 total) {week 6}
The New World – $4,029,715 ($4,219,579 total) {week 5}
Walk the Line – $3,065,796 ($102,076,758 total) {week 10}
Munich – $3,032,070 ($37,985,445 total) {week 5}
Match Point – $2,935,733 ($10,167,645 total) {week 4}
Memoirs of a Geisha – $2,684,497 ($51,191,654 total) {week 7}
Capote – $867,621 ($14,259,724 total) {week 17}
Syriana – $785,448 ($45,419,826 total) {week 9}
Pride & Prejudice – $466,080 ($36,969,427 total) {week 11}
Mrs. Henderson Presents – $364,442 ($1,612,287 total) {week 7}
Transamerica – $316,611 ($876,859 total) {week 8}
Good Night, and Good Luck. – $215,020 ($24,882,215 total) {week 16}
The Squid and the Whale – $204,035 ($6,346,344 total) {week 16}
A History of Violence – $32,334 ($31,408,459 total) {week 18}
Paradise Now – $23,761 ($1,123,750 total) {week 13}
Darwin’s Nightmare – $7,834 ($106,717 total) {week 25}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Brokeback Mountain – $9,268,824 ($52,051,303 total)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – $7,779,050 ($339,088,850 total)
King Kong – $5,266,918 ($261,784,119 total)
The New World – $5,026,377 ($5,263,200 total)
Walk the Line – $3,824,054 ($127,323,223 total)
Munich – $3,781,987 ($47,380,318 total)
Match Point – $3,661,823 ($12,682,391 total)
Memoirs of a Geisha – $3,348,449 ($63,852,796 total)
Capote – $1,082,208 ($17,786,557 total)
Syriana – $979,711 ($56,653,432 total)
Pride & Prejudice – $581,355 ($46,113,010 total)
Mrs. Henderson Presents – $454,579 ($2,011,051 total)
Transamerica – $394,918 ($1,093,731 total)
Good Night, and Good Luck. – $268,201 ($31,036,290 total)
The Squid and the Whale – $254,499 ($7,915,974 total)
A History of Violence – $40,331 ($39,176,658 total)
Paradise Now – $29,638 ($1,401,685 total)
Darwin’s Nightmare – $9,772 ($133,111 total)

Oscar Details:

Brokeback Mountain: Picture, Directing [O], Actor (Heath Ledger), Supporting Actor (Jake Gyllenhaal), Supporting Actress (Michelle Williams), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Cinematography
Capote: Picture, Directing, Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman) [O], Supporting Actress (Catherine Keener), Adapted Screenplay
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Makeup [O], Sound Mixing, Visual Effects
Darwin’s Nightmare: Documentary Feature
Good Night, and Good Luck.: Picture, Directing, Actor (David Strathairn), Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction
A History of Violence: Supporting Actor (William Hurt), Adapted Screenplay
King Kong: Art Direction, Sound Mixing [O], Sound Editing [O], Visual Effects [O]
Match Point: Original Screenplay
Memoirs of a Geisha: Original Score, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O], Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
Mrs. Henderson Presents: Actress (Judi Dench), Costume Design
Munich: Picture, Directing, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Editing
The New World: Cinematography
Paradise Now: Foreign Language Film
Pride & Prejudice: Actress (Keira Knightley), Original Score, Art Direction, Costume Design
The Squid and the Whale: Original Screenplay
Syriana: Supporting Actor (George Clooney) [O], Original Screenplay
Transamerica: Actress (Felicity Huffman), Original Song (“Travelin’ Thru”)
Walk the Line: Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Actress (Reese Witherspoon) [O], Editing, Costume Design, Sound Mixing

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jan. 19-21, 2001

Weekend Box Office:

Cast Away – $11,151,419 ($181,970,406 total) {week 5}
Traffic – $8,506,626 ($46,692,094 total) {week 4}
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – $6,080,357 ($37,287,527 total) {week 7}
The Emperor’s New Groove – $3,894,810 ($76,048,955 total) {week 6}
Chocolat – $3,093,590 ($12,814,359 total) {week 6}
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – $1,633,678 ($9,544,001 total) {week 5}
102 Dalmatians – $537,457 ($63,243,044 total) {week 9}
Meet the Parents – $420,610 ($163,437,865 total) {week 16}
Billy Elliot – $260,685 ($18,733,045 total) {week 15}
Quills – $234,309 ($5,359,129 total) {week 9}
You Can Count on Me – $205,105 ($5,614,918 total) {week 11}
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – $201,595 ($259,286,185 total) {week 10}
Malena – $127,452 ($1,229,941 total) {week 5}
Before Night Falls – $111,709 ($706,594 total) {week 5}
Shadow of the Vampire – $66,411 ($540,840 total) {week 4}
Requiem for a Dream – $52,466 ($3,151,440 total) {week 16}
Wonder Boys – $18,499 ($19,371,621 total) {week 48}
The Contender – $2,192 ($17,863,459 total) {week 15}
Scottsboro – $2,991 ($2,991 total) {week 1}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Cast Away – $16,096,660 ($262,667,530 total)
Traffic – $12,278,999 ($67,398,305 total)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – $8,776,770 ($53,823,162 total)
The Emperor’s New Groove – $5,622,014 ($109,773,845 total)
Chocolat – $4,465,482 ($18,497,052 total)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – $2,358,154 ($13,776,411 total)
102 Dalmatians – $775,799 ($91,288,988 total)
Meet the Parents – $607,135 ($235,916,494 total)
Billy Elliot – $376,289 ($27,040,455 total)
Quills – $338,216 ($7,735,704 total)
You Can Count on Me – $296,061 ($8,104,926 total)
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – $290,995 ($374,269,988 total)
Malena – $183,972 ($1,775,374 total)
Before Night Falls – $161,248 ($1,019,942 total)
Shadow of the Vampire – $95,862 ($780,682 total)
Requiem for a Dream – $75,733 ($4,548,987 total)
Wonder Boys – $26,703 ($27,962,216 total)
The Contender – $3,164 ($25,785,240 total)
Scottsboro – $4,317 ($4,317 total)

Oscar Details:

102 Dalmatians: Costume Design
Before Night Falls: Actor (Javier Bardem)
Billy Elliot: Directing, Supporting Actress (Julie Walters), Original Screenplay
Cast Away: Actor (Tom Hanks), Sound
Chocolat: Picture, Actress (Juliette Binoche), Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score
The Contender: Actress (Joan Allen), Supporting Actor (Jeff Bridges)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Picture, Directing, Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“A Love Before Time”), Original Score [O], Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design, Foreign Language Film [O]
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup [O]
The Emperor’s New Groove: Original Song (“My Funny Friend and Me”)
Malena: Original Score, Cinematography
Meet the Parents: Original Song (“A Fool in Love”)
O Brother, Where Art Thou?: Cinematography
Quills: Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Art Direction, Costume Design
Requiem for a Dream: Actress (Ellen Burstyn)
Scottsboro: Documentary Feature
Shadow of the Vampire: Supporting Actor (Willem Dafoe), Makeup
Traffic: Picture, Directing [O], Supporting Actor (Benicio Del Toro) [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Editing [O]
Wonder Boys: Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“Things Have Changed”), Editing
You Can Count on Me: Actress (Laura Linney), Original Screenplay

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jan. 19-21, 1996

Weekend Box Office:

Mr. Holland’s Opus – $9,257,334 ($9,280,066 total) {week 4}
12 Monkeys – $6,190,470 ($39,139,854 total) {week 4}
Toy Story – $3,671,487 ($174,243,923 total) {week 9}
Sense and Sensibility – $3,305,275 ($13,546,495 total) {week 6}
Sabrina – $2,272,677 ($46,289,678 total) {week 6}
Dead Man Walking – $1,722,766 ($2,699,414 total) {week 4}
Leaving Las Vegas – $1,406,996 ($6,905,460 total) {week 13}
Seven – $1,260,725 ($90,481,182 total) {week 18}
Braveheart – $3,537 ($67,040,728 total) {week 35}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Mr. Holland’s Opus – $17,111,407 ($17,153,425 total)
12 Monkeys – $11,442,566 ($72,346,744 total)
Toy Story – $6,786,436 ($322,075,306 total)
Sense and Sensibility – $6,109,524 ($25,039,562 total)
Sabrina – $4,200,853 ($85,562,595 total)
Dead Man Walking – $3,184,389 ($4,989,641 total)
Leaving Las Vegas – $2,600,714 ($12,764,165 total)
Seven – $2,330,345 ($167,246,891 total)
Braveheart – $6,538 ($123,919,174 total)

Oscar Details:

12 Monkeys: Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt), Costume Design
Braveheart: Picture [O], Directing [O], Original Screenplay, Original Dramatic Score, Editing, Cinematography [O], Costume Design, Makeup [O], Sound, Sound Effects Editing [O]
Dead Man Walking: Directing, Actor (Sean Penn), Actress (Susan Sarandon) [O], Original Song (“Dead Man Walkin’”)
Leaving Las Vegas: Directing, Actor (Nicolas Cage) [O], Actress (Elisabeth Shue), Adapted Screenplay
Mr. Holland’s Opus: Actor (Richard Dreyfuss)
Sabrina: Original Song (“Moonlight”), Original Musical or Comedy Score
Sense and Sensibility: Picture, Actress (Emma Thompson), Supporting Actress (Kate Winslet), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Dramatic Score, Cinematography, Costume Design
Seven: Editing
Toy Story: Original Screenplay, Original Song (“You’ve Got a Friend in Me”), Original Musical or Comedy Score

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jan. 18-20, 1991

Weekend Box Office:

Home Alone – $11,069,157 ($194,760,234 total) {week 10}
Awakenings – $7,678,279 ($20,228,866 total) {week 5}
Dances With Wolves – $5,759,572 ($86,834,177 total) {week 11}
Green Card – $3,743,721 ($6,300,281 total) {week 5}
Hamlet – $3,406,300 ($4,250,628 total) {week 5}
Edward Scissorhands – $3,325,397 ($42,906,516 total) {week 7}
The Godfather, Part III – $3,322,298 ($56,472,860 total) {week 5}
Misery – $1,573,047 ($50,395,363 total) {week 8}
Ghost – $1,042,544 ($211,066,378 total) {week 28}
Alice – $113,053 ($758,633 total) {week 5}
The Grifters – $125,195 ($298,328 total) {week 7}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Home Alone – $21,481,001 ($377,955,133 total)
Awakenings – $14,900,603 ($39,256,493 total)
Dances With Wolves – $11,177,127 ($168,511,930 total)
Green Card – $7,265,131 ($12,226,436 total)
Hamlet – $6,610,326 ($8,248,843 total)
Edward Scissorhands – $6,453,324 ($83,265,139 total)
The Godfather, Part III – $6,447,310 ($109,592,225 total)
Misery – $3,052,683 ($97,798,127 total)
Ghost – $2,023,179 ($409,599,123 total)
Alice – $219,393 ($1,472,217 total)
The Grifters – $242,956 ($578,941 total)

Oscar Details:

Alice: Original Screenplay
Awakenings: Picture, Actor (Robert De Niro), Adapted Screenplay
Dances With Wolves: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actor (Kevin Costner), Supporting Actor (Graham Greene), Supporting Actress (Mary McDonnell), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Editing [O], Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound [O]
Edward Scissorhands: Makeup
Ghost: Picture, Supporting Actress (Whoopi Goldberg) [O], Original Screenplay [O], Original Score, Editing
The Godfather, Part III: Picture, Directing, Supporting Actor (Andy Garcia), Original Song, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction
Green Card: Original Screenplay
The Grifters: Directing, Actress (Anjelica Huston), Supporting Actress (Annette Bening), Adapted Screenplay
Hamlet: Art Direction, Costume Design
Home Alone: Original Song (“Somewhere in My Memory”), Original Score
Misery: Actress (Kathy Bates) [O]

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jan. 17-19, 1986

Weekend Box Office:

The Color Purple – $5,742,903 ($26,148,105 total) {week 5}
Out of Africa – $5,191,875 ($41,378,120 total) {week 5}
White Nights – $2,345,831 ($36,891,777 total) {week 9}
Back to the Future – $1,287,600 ($196,303,776 total) {week 29}
Clan of the Cave Bear, The – $25,428 ($25,428 total) {week 1}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The Color Purple – $12,646,770 ($57,582,215 total)
Out of Africa – $11,433,320 ($91,121,089 total)
White Nights – $5,165,887 ($81,241,460 total)
Back to the Future – $2,835,496 ($432,291,604 total)
Clan of the Cave Bear, The – $55,996 ($55,996 total)

Oscar Details:

Back to the Future: Original Screenplay, Original Song (“The Power of Love’), Sound, Sound Effects Editing [O]
Clan of the Cave Bear, The:
The Color Purple: Picture, Actress (Whoopi Goldberg), Supporting Actress (Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey), Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)”)
Out of Africa: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actress (Meryl Streep), Supporting Actor (Klaus Maria Brandauer), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Film Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design, Sound [O]
White Nights: Original Song (“Say You, Say Me” [O], “Separate Lives (Love Theme from “White Nights”)”)