Oscar in Box Office History (Week 36, 2012)

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

Toys in the Attic (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Animated Feature.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Sep. 7-9, 2007

Weekend Box Office:

3:10 to Yuma – $14,035,033 ($14,035,033 total) {week 1}
The Bourne Ultimatum – $5,673,850 ($210,294,605 total) {week 6}
Transformers – $605,328 ($311,381,546 total) {week 10}
Ratatouille – $570,557 ($201,994,077 total) {week 11}
Once – $218,359 ($8,407,449 total) {week 17}
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – $192,046 ($308,929,593 total) {week 16}
No End in Sight – $140,397 ($1,087,888 total) {week 7}
La Vie en Rose – $77,684 ($9,741,898 total) {week 14}
Sicko – $68,885 ($24,236,504 total) {week 12}
The Lives of Others – $1,940 ($11,284,657 total) {week 31}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

3:10 to Yuma – $14,035,033 ($14,035,033 total)
The Bourne Ultimatum – $5,673,850 ($210,294,605 total)
Transformers – $605,328 ($311,381,546 total)
Ratatouille – $570,557 ($201,994,077 total)
Once – $218,359 ($8,407,449 total)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – $192,046 ($308,929,593 total)
No End in Sight – $140,397 ($1,087,888 total)
La Vie en Rose – $77,684 ($9,741,898 total)
Sicko – $68,885 ($24,236,504 total)
The Lives of Others – $1,940 ($11,284,657 total)

Oscar Details:

3:10 to Yuma: Original Score, Sound Mixing
The Bourne Ultimatum: Film Editing [O], Sound Mixing [O], Sound Editing [O]
The Lives of Others: Foreign Language Film
No End in Sight: Documentary Feature
Once: Original Song [O]
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End: Makeup, Visual Effects
Ratatouille: Animated Feature [O], Original Screenplay, Original Score, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
Sicko: Documentary Feature
Transformers: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects
La Vie en Rose: Actress [O], Costume Design, Makeup [O]

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Sep. 6-8, 2002

Weekend Box Office:

My Big Fat Greek Wedding – $10,372,316 ($95,824,732 total) {week 21}
Road to Perdition – $1,278,478 ($101,142,829 total) {week 9}
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones – $362,441 ($301,131,584 total) {week 17}
Lilo & Stitch – $343,282 ($142,715,095 total) {week 12}
Minority Report – $269,933 ($130,990,143 total) {week 12}
Monsters, Inc. – $20,197 ($255,832,724 total) {week 45}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

My Big Fat Greek Wedding – $10,372,316 ($95,824,732 total)
Road to Perdition – $1,278,478 ($101,142,829 total)
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones – $362,441 ($301,131,584 total)
Lilo & Stitch – $343,282 ($142,715,095 total)
Minority Report – $269,933 ($130,990,143 total)
Monsters, Inc. – $20,197 ($255,832,724 total)

Oscar Details:

Lilo & Stitch: Animated Feature
Minority Report: Sound Editing
Monsters, Inc.: Animated Feature, Original Song (If I Didn’t Have You [O]), Original Score, Sound Editing
My Big Fat Greek Wedding: Original Screenplay
Road to Perdition: Supporting Actor (Paul Newman), Original Score, Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Sound, Sound Editing
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones: Visual Effects

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Sep. 5-7, 1997

Weekend Box Office:

Air Force One – $3,861,490 ($159,262,854 total) {week 7}
Men in Black – $1,803,297 ($237,311,281 total) {week 10}
Con Air – $536,504 ($100,256,185 total) {week 14}
The Full Monty – $769,954 ($2,723,815 total) {week 4}
The Lost World: Jurassic Park – $212,625 ($228,157,764 total) {week 16}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Air Force One – $3,861,490 ($159,262,854 total)
Men in Black – $1,803,297 ($237,311,281 total)
Con Air – $536,504 ($100,256,185 total)
The Full Monty – $769,954 ($2,723,815 total)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park – $212,625 ($228,157,764 total)

Oscar Details:

Air Force One: Editing, Sound
Con Air: Original Song (“How Do I Live”), Sound
The Full Monty: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Original Musical or Comedy Score [O]
The Lost World: Jurassic Park: Visual Effects
Men in Black: Original Musical or Comedy Score, Art Direction, Makeup [O]

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Sep. 4-7, 1992

Weekend Box Office:

Unforgiven – $6,352,892 ($63,641,949 total) {week 5}
Death Becomes Her – $3,194,135 ($50,608,435 total) {week 6}
Enchanted April – $1,632,218 ($5,298,437 total) {week 6}
Batman Returns – $1,122,743 ($159,559,854 total) {week 12}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Unforgiven – $6,352,892 ($63,641,949 total)
Death Becomes Her – $3,194,135 ($50,608,435 total)
Enchanted April – $1,632,218 ($5,298,437 total)
Batman Returns – $1,122,743 ($159,559,854 total)

Oscar Details:

Batman Returns: Makeup, Visual Effects
Death Becomes Her: Visual Effects [O]
Enchanted April: Supporting Actress (Joan Plowright), Adapted Screenplay, Costume Design
Unforgiven: Picture [O], Director [O], Actor (Clint Eastwood), Supporting Actor (Gene Hackman) [O], Original Screenplay, Editing [O], Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Sep. 4-7, 1987

Weekend Box Office:

Dirty Dancing – $4,889,239 ($16,465,415 total) {week 3}
Robocop – $1,908,532 ($47,233,470 total) {week 8}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Dirty Dancing – $4,889,239 ($16,465,415 total)
Robocop – $1,908,532 ($47,233,470 total)

Oscar Details:

Dirty Dancing: Original Song (“(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”) [O]
Robocop: Film Editing, Sound, Sound Effects Editing [O]

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Sep. 3-6, 1982

Weekend Box Office:

An Officer and a Gentleman – $7,711,202 ($44,535,138 total) {week 6}
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – $4,668,859 ($238,646,109 total) {week 13}
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas – $2,432,540 ($60,127,591 total) {week 7}
The World According to Garp – $1,886,476 ($22,733,973 total) {week 7}
Rocky III – $1,720,338 ($111,023,220 total) {week 15}
Annie – $1,180,116 ($52,752,796 total) {week 14}
Tron – $1,161,388 ($26,061,388 total) {week 8}
Poltergeist – $1,083,726 ($65,697,180 total) {week 14}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

An Officer and a Gentleman – $7,711,202 ($44,535,138 total)
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – $4,668,859 ($238,646,109 total)
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas – $2,432,540 ($60,127,591 total)
The World According to Garp – $1,886,476 ($22,733,973 total)
Rocky III – $1,720,338 ($111,023,220 total)
Annie – $1,180,116 ($52,752,796 total)
Tron – $1,161,388 ($26,061,388 total)
Poltergeist – $1,083,726 ($65,697,180 total)

Oscar Details:

Annie: Original Song Score, Art Direction
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas: Supporting Actor (Charles Durning)
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Original Score [O], Editing, Cinematography, Sound [O], Sound Effects Editing [O], Visual Effects [O]
An Officer and a Gentleman: Actress (Debra Winger), Supporting Actor (Louis Gossett Jr.) [O], Original Screenplay, Original Song (“Up Where We Belong”) [O], Original Score, Film Editing
Poltergeist: Original Score, Sound Editing, Visual Effects
Rocky III: Original Song (“Eye of the Tiger”)
Tron: Costume Design, Sound
The World According to Garp: Supporting Actor (John Lithgow), Supporting Actress (Glenn Close)