Oscar in Box Office History (Week 30, 2015)

Every week, we’ll take a look back in 5-year intervals in the box office past to explore how Oscar’s nominees were doing at the box office that 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 chance 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

Pixels (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Visual Effects.

Southpaw (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Picture, Director, Actor (Jake Gyllenhaal), Original Screenplay, Film Editing.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jul. 23-25, 2010

Weekend Box Office:

Inception – $42,725,012 ($142,883,424 total) {week 2}
Salt – $36,011,243 ($36,011,243 total) {week 1}
Toy Story 3 – $8,917,512 ($379,416,551 total) {week 6}
The Kids Are All Right – $2,594,758 ($4,909,949 total) {week 3}
I Am Love – $336,112 ($3,215,821 total) {week 6}
Winter’s Bone – $322,661 ($3,556,647 total) {week 7}
Restrepo – $73,124 ($536,890 total) {week 5}
The Secret in Their Eyes – $63,200 ($6,129,370 total) {week 15}
Exit Through the Gift Shop – $26,196 ($3,018,777 total) {week 15}
Avatar – $16,817 ($749,726,993 total) {week 32}
The Secret of Kells – $1,875 ($676,061 total) {week 21}
Dogtooth – $1,806 ($40,189 total) {week 5}
The Most Dangerous Man in America – $324 ($453,660 total) {week 26}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Inception – $44,241,235 ($147,954,065 total)
Salt – $37,289,209 ($37,289,209 total)
Toy Story 3 – $9,233,976 ($392,881,270 total)
The Kids Are All Right – $2,686,841 ($5,084,193 total)
I Am Love – $348,040 ($3,329,944 total)
Winter’s Bone – $334,112 ($3,682,865 total)
Restrepo – $75,719 ($555,943 total)
The Secret in Their Eyes – $65,443 ($6,346,889 total)
Exit Through the Gift Shop – $27,126 ($3,125,907 total)
Avatar – $17,414 ($776,333,274 total)
The Secret of Kells – $1,942 ($700,053 total)
Dogtooth – $1,870 ($41,615 total)
The Most Dangerous Man in America – $335 ($469,759 total)

Oscar Details:

Avatar: Picture, Director, Original Score, Film Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects [O]
Dogtooth: Foreign Language Film
Exit Through the Gift Shop: Documentary Feature
I Am Love: Costume Design
Inception: Picture, Original Screenplay, Original Score, Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Sound Mixing [O], Sound Editing [O], Visual Effects [O]
The Kids Are All Right: Picture, Actress (Annette Bening), Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), Original Screenplay
The Most Dangerous Man in America : Documentary Feature
Restrepo: Documentary Feature
Salt: Sound Mixing
The Secret in Their Eyes: Foreign Language Film
The Secret of Kells : Animated Feature
Toy Story 3: Picture, Animated Feature [O], Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“We Belong Together”) [O], Sound Editing
Winter’s Bone: Picture, Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Supporting Actor (John Hawkes), Adapted Screenplay

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jul. 29-31, 2005

Weekend Box Office:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – $16,384,332 ($148,095,522 total) {week 3}
War of the Worlds – $5,481,239 ($218,369,264 total) {week 5}
March of the Penguins – $4,030,894 ($16,330,241 total) {week 6}
Hustle & Flow – $4,029,764 ($14,589,913 total) {week 2}
Batman Begins – $2,448,225 ($195,875,532 total) {week 7}
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – $573,122 ($377,080,716 total) {week 11}
Murderball – $209,598 ($527,134 total) {week 4}
Cinderella Man – $186,950 ($60,317,705 total) {week 9}
Crash – $176,958 ($52,232,114 total) {week 13}
Howl’s Moving Castle – $48,823 ($4,444,694 total) {week 8}
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room – $24,882 ($3,973,750 total) {week 15}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – $20,882,994 ($188,758,255 total)
War of the Worlds – $6,986,228 ($278,327,127 total)
March of the Penguins – $5,137,661 ($20,814,051 total)
Hustle & Flow – $5,136,220 ($18,595,880 total)
Batman Begins – $3,120,437 ($249,657,269 total)
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – $730,485 ($480,616,139 total)
Murderball – $267,148 ($671,870 total)
Cinderella Man – $238,281 ($76,879,197 total)
Crash – $225,546 ($66,573,537 total)
Howl’s Moving Castle – $62,228 ($5,665,078 total)
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room – $31,714 ($5,064,826 total)

Oscar Details:

Batman Begins: Cinematography
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Costume Design
Cinderella Man: Supporting Actor (Paul Giamatti), Editing, Makeup
Crash: Picture [O], Directing, Supporting Actor (Matt Dillon), Original Screenplay [O], Original Song (“In the Deep”), Editing [O]
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Documentary Feature
Howl’s Moving Castle: Animated Feature
Hustle & Flow: Actor (Terrence Howard), Original Song (“It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp”) [O]
March of the Penguins: Documentary Feature [O]
Murderball: Documentary Feature
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith: Makeup
War of the Worlds: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jul. 28-30, 2000

Weekend Box Office:

The Perfect Storm – $7,517,689 ($158,053,931 total) {week 5}
The Patriot – $4,443,467 ($101,207,083 total) {week 5}
Gladiator – $874,562 ($179,965,669 total) {week 13}
U-571 – $179,375 ($76,671,180 total) {week 15}
Erin Brockovich – $78,320 ($125,441,155 total) {week 20}
East-West – $40,093 ($2,126,663 total) {week 17}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The Perfect Storm – $11,395,087 ($239,573,398 total)
The Patriot – $6,735,274 ($153,406,655 total)
Gladiator – $1,325,635 ($272,786,552 total)
U-571 – $271,891 ($116,215,870 total)
Erin Brockovich – $118,715 ($190,139,933 total)
East-West – $60,772 ($3,223,532 total)

Oscar Details:

East-West: Foreign Language Film
Erin Brockovich: Picture, Directing, Actress (Julia Roberts) [O], Supporting Actor (Albert Finney), Original Screenplay
Gladiator: Picture [O], Directing, Actor (Russell Crowe) [O], Supporting Actor (Joaquin Phoenix) [O], Original Screenplay, Original Score, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design [O], Sound [O], Visual Effects [O]
The Patriot: Original Score, Cinematography, Sound
The Perfect Storm: Sound, Visual Effects
U-571: Sound, Sound Editing [O]

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jul. 28-30, 1995

Weekend Box Office:

Waterworld – $21,171,780 ($21,171,780 total) {week 1}
Apollo 13 – $9,223,710 ($127,003,515 total) {week 5}
Pocahontas – $3,655,759 ($124,853,506 total) {week 7}
Batman Forever – $1,764,044 ($174,939,168 total) {week 7}
Braveheart – $406,626 ($58,944,581 total) {week 10}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Waterworld – $39,764,010 ($39,764,010 total)
Apollo 13 – $17,323,612 ($238,533,039 total)
Pocahontas – $6,866,104 ($234,494,976 total)
Batman Forever – $3,313,159 ($328,563,909 total)
Braveheart – $763,709 ($110,707,408 total)

Oscar Details:

Apollo 13: Picture, Supporting Actor (Ed Harris), Supporting Actress (Kathleen Quinlan), Adapted Screenplay, Original Dramatic Score, Editing [O], Art Direction, Sound [O], Visual Effects
Batman Forever: Cinematography, Sound, Sound Effects Editing
Braveheart: Picture [O], Directing [O], Original Screenplay, Original Dramatic Score, Editing, Cinematography [O], Costume Design, Makeup [O], Sound, Sound Effects Editing [O]
Pocahontas: Original Song (“Colors of the Wind”) [O], Original Musical or Comedy Score [O]
Waterworld: Sound

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jul. 27-29, 1990

Weekend Box Office:

Ghost – $11,074,738 ($51,392,872 total) {week 3}
Days of Thunder – $3,267,823 ($69,335,119 total) {week 5}
Dick Tracy – $1,751,976 ($99,098,477 total) {week 7}
Total Recall – $1,263,600 ($110,907,180 total) {week 9}
Pretty Woman – $1,187,818 ($162,320,365 total) {week 19}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Ghost – $21,390,215 ($99,262,356 total)
Days of Thunder – $6,311,611 ($133,916,766 total)
Dick Tracy – $3,383,840 ($191,402,969 total)
Total Recall – $2,440,570 ($214,210,794 total)
Pretty Woman – $2,294,202 ($313,512,383 total)

Oscar Details:

Days of Thunder: Sound
Dick Tracy: Supporting Actor (Al Pacino), Original Song (“Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)”) [O], Cinematography, Art Direction [O], Costume Design, Makeup [O], Sound
Ghost: Picture, Supporting Actress (Whoopi Goldberg) [O], Original Screenplay [O], Original Score, Editing
Pretty Woman: Actress (Julia Roberts)
Total Recall: Sound, Sound Effects Editing, Visual Effects (Special Achievement Award) [O]

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jul. 26-28, 1985

Weekend Box Office:

Back to the Future – $9,466,280 ($66,639,288 total) {week 4}
Silverado – $3,231,315 ($15,087,062 total) {week 3}
Cocoon – $3,158,302 ($52,037,930 total) {week 6}
Rambo: First Blood Part II – $2,883,075 ($134,910,164 total) {week 10}
The Kiss of the Spider Woman – $55,962 ($55,962 total) {week 1}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Back to the Future – $21,785,777 ($153,364,221 total)
Silverado – $7,436,576 ($34,721,492 total)
Cocoon – $7,268,543 ($119,760,532 total)
Rambo: First Blood Part II – $6,635,133 ($310,483,392 total)
The Kiss of the Spider Woman – $128,791 ($128,791 total)

Oscar Details:

Back to the Future: Original Screenplay, Original Song (“The Power of Love’), Sound, Sound Effects Editing [O]
Cocoon: Supporting Actor (Don Ameche) [O], Visual Effects [O]
The Kiss of the Spider Woman: Picture, Directing, Actor (William Hurt) [O], Adapted Screenplay
Rambo: First Blood Part II: Sound Effects Editing
Silverado: Original Score, Sound