Oscar in Box Office History (Week 47, 2018)

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

Ralph Breaks the Internet (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Animated Feature.

The Favourite (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Picture, Directing, Actress (Olivia Colman), Supporting Actress (Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone), Original Screenplay, Film Editing, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design.

Shoplifters (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Foreign Language Film.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 22-24, 2013

Weekend Box Office:

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa – $3,433,864 ($95,434,629 total) {week 5}
Gravity – $3,210,155 ($245,407,759 total) {week 8}
12 Years a Slave – $2,833,635 ($29,426,947 total) {week 6}
Dallas Buyers Club – $2,687,157 ($6,374,058 total) {week 4}
Captain Phillips – $1,821,366 ($100,705,834 total) {week 7}
The Book Thief – $609,652 ($1,307,512 total) {week 3}
All Is Lost – $367,463 ($4,973,316 total) {week 6}
Despicable Me 2 – $343,695 ($366,375,650 total) {week 21}
Nebraska – $325,755 ($515,368 total) {week 2}
Frozen – $243,390 ($243,390 total) {week 1}
Prisoners – $129,419 ($60,805,086 total) {week 10}
Philomena – $128,435 ($128,435 total) {week 1}
The Great Beauty – $52,355 ($91,054 total) {week 2}
Blue Jasmine – $48,385 ($32,692,397 total) {week 18}
20 Feet from Stardom – $5,308 ($4,770,417 total) {week 24}
The Act of Killing – $637 ($450,827 total) {week 19}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa – $3,520,468 ($97,841,555 total)
Gravity – $3,291,117 ($251,597,110 total)
12 Years a Slave – $2,905,101 ($30,169,115 total)
Dallas Buyers Club – $2,754,929 ($6,534,816 total)
Captain Phillips – $1,867,302 ($103,245,704 total)
The Book Thief – $625,028 ($1,340,488 total)
All Is Lost – $376,731 ($5,098,746 total)
Despicable Me 2 – $352,363 ($375,615,893 total)
Nebraska – $333,971 ($528,366 total)
Frozen – $249,528 ($249,528 total)
Prisoners – $132,683 ($62,338,632 total)
Philomena – $131,674 ($131,674 total)
The Great Beauty – $53,675 ($93,350 total)
Blue Jasmine – $49,605 ($33,516,922 total)
20 Feet from Stardom – $5,442 ($4,890,730 total)
The Act of Killing – $653 ($462,197 total)

Oscar Details:

12 Years a Slave: Picture [O], Directing, Actor (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Supporting Actor (Michael Fassbender), Supporting Actress (Lupita Nyong’o) [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Film Editing, Production Design, Costume Design
20 Feet from Stardom: Documentary Feature [O]
The Act of Killing: Documentary Feature
All Is Lost: Sound Editing
Blue Jasmine: Actress (Cate Blanchett) [O], Supporting Actress (Sally Hawkins), Original Screenplay
The Book Thief: Original Score
Captain Phillips: Picture, Supporting Actor (Barkhad Abdi), Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
Dallas Buyers Club: Picture, Actor (Matthew McConaughey) [O], Supporting Actor (Jared Leto) [O], Original Screenplay, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling [O]
Despicable Me 2: Animated Feature, Original Song (“Happy”)
Frozen: Animated Feature [O], Original Song (“Let It Go”) [O]
Gravity: Picture, Directing [O], Actress (Sandra Bullock), Original Score [O], Film Editing [O], Cinematography [O], Production Design, Sound Mixing [O], Sound Editing [O], Visual Effects [O]
The Great Beauty: Foreign Language Film [O]
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa: Makeup and Hairstyling
Nebraska: Picture, Directing, Actor (Bruce Dern), Supporting Actress (June Squibb), Original Screenplay, Cinematography
Philomena: Picture, Actress (Judi Dench), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score
Prisoners: Cinematography

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 21-23, 2008

Weekend Box Office:

Bolt – $26,223,128 ($26,223,128 total) {week 1}
Changeling – $2,695,450 ($31,665,332 total) {week 5}
Slumdog Millionaire – $947,795 ($1,570,240 total) {week 2}
Rachel Getting Married – $751,611 ($8,003,380 total) {week 8}
The Dark Knight – $370,449 ($529,696,290 total) {week 19}
Happy-Go-Lucky – $338,071 ($2,213,147 total) {week 7}
WALL-E – $134,989 ($223,454,780 total) {week 22}
The Duchess – $117,896 ($13,670,183 total) {week 10}
Vicky Cristina Barcelona – $43,433 ($22,417,130 total) {week 15}
Man on Wire – $16,058 ($2,863,670 total) {week 18}
The Betrayal – $5,864 ($5,864 total) {week 1}
Frozen River – $5,525 ($2,275,673 total) {week 17}
Trouble the Water – $1,804 ($465,847 total) {week 14}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Bolt – $23,743,009 ($23,743,009 total)
Changeling – $2,440,521 ($28,670,502 total)
Slumdog Millionaire – $858,155 ($1,421,731 total)
Rachel Getting Married – $680,525 ($7,246,440 total)
The Dark Knight – $335,413 ($479,598,911 total)
Happy-Go-Lucky – $306,097 ($2,003,833 total)
WALL-E – $122,222 ($202,320,974 total)
The Duchess – $106,746 ($12,377,291 total)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona – $39,325 ($20,296,973 total)
Man on Wire – $14,539 ($2,592,831 total)
The Betrayal – $5,309 ($5,309 total)
Frozen River – $5,002 ($2,060,445 total)
Trouble the Water – $1,633 ($421,788 total)

Oscar Details:

The Betrayal: Documentary Feature
Bolt: Animated Feature
Changeling: Actress (Angelina Jolie), Cinematography, Art Direction
The Dark Knight: Supporting Actor (Heath Ledger) [O], Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Makeup, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing [O], Visual Effects
The Duchess: Art Direction, Costume Design [O]
Frozen River: Actress (Melissa Leo), Original Screenplay
Happy-Go-Lucky: Original Screenplay
Man on Wire: Documentary Feature [O]
Rachel Getting Married: Actress (Anne Hathaway)
Slumdog Millionaire: Picture [O], Director [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Song (“Jai Ho”) [O], Original Score [O], Editing [O], Cinematography [O], Sound Mixing [O], Sound Editing
Trouble the Water: Documentary Feature
Vicky Cristina Barcelona: Supporting Actress (Penelope Cruz) [O]
WALL-E: Animated Feature [O], Original Screenplay, Original Song (“Down to Earth”), Original Score, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 21-23, 2003

Weekend Box Office:

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World – $15,213,896 ($47,279,725 total) {week 2}
Brother Bear – $5,346,869 ($70,322,073 total) {week 5}
Mystic River – $2,017,394 ($48,556,414 total) {week 7}
Tupac: Resurrection – $1,116,099 ($6,647,524 total) {week 2}
Lost in Translation – $531,787 ($28,060,851 total) {week 11}
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – $421,857 ($304,175,582 total) {week 20}
21 Grams – $274,454 ($274,454 total) {week 1}
Pieces of April – $257,437 ($1,579,812 total) {week 6}
Seabiscuit – $83,415 ($120,026,455 total) {week 18}
Finding Nemo – $50,581 ($339,666,356 total) {week 26}
My Architect – $43,248 ($110,595 total) {week 2}
American Splendor – $35,056 ($5,977,550 total) {week 15}
City of God – $16,034 ($4,735,224 total) {week 45}
Dirty Pretty Things – $14,148 ($8,002,271 total) {week 19}
Winged Migration – $11,423 ($10,714,833 total) {week 32}
Thirteen – $8,200 ($4,582,368 total) {week 14}
Whale Rider – $7,483 ($20,772,796 total) {week 25}
The Weather Underground – $5,812 ($479,607 total) {week 25}
Spellbound – $1,604 ($5,724,887 total) {week 30}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World – $11,568,700 ($35,951,670 total)
Brother Bear – $4,065,778 ($53,473,153 total)
Mystic River – $1,534,034 ($36,922,469 total)
Tupac: Resurrection – $848,686 ($5,054,801 total)
Lost in Translation – $404,373 ($21,337,570 total)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – $320,782 ($231,296,187 total)
21 Grams – $208,696 ($208,696 total)
Pieces of April – $195,756 ($1,201,295 total)
Seabiscuit – $63,429 ($91,268,540 total)
Finding Nemo – $38,462 ($258,283,496 total)
My Architect – $32,886 ($84,097 total)
American Splendor – $26,657 ($4,545,350 total)
City of God – $12,192 ($3,600,681 total)
Dirty Pretty Things – $10,758 ($6,084,955 total)
Winged Migration – $8,686 ($8,147,597 total)
Thirteen – $6,235 ($3,484,449 total)
Whale Rider – $5,690 ($15,795,707 total)
The Weather Underground – $4,419 ($364,695 total)
Spellbound – $1,220 ($4,353,224 total)

Oscar Details:

21 Grams: Actress (Naomi Watts), Supporting Actor (Benicio Del Toro)
American Splendor: Adapted Screenplay
Brother Bear: Animated Feature
City of God: Director, Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography
Dirty Pretty Things: Original Screenplay
Finding Nemo: Animated Feature [O], Original Screenplay, Original Score, Sound Editing
Lost in Translation: Picture, Director, Actor (Bill Murray), Original Screenplay [O]
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World: Picture, Director, Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing [O], Visual Effects
My Architect: Documentary Feature
Mystic River: Picture, Director, Actor (Sean Penn) [O], Supporting Actor (Tim Robbins) [O], Supporting Actress (Marcia Gay Harden), Adapted Screenplay
Pieces of April: Supporting Actress (Patricia Clarkson)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: Actor (Johnny Depp), Makeup, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects
Seabiscuit: Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound Mixing
Spellbound: Documentary Feature
Thirteen: Supporting Actress (Holly Hunter)
Tupac: Resurrection : Documentary Feature
The Weather Underground: Documentary Feature
Whale Rider: Actress (Keisha Castle-Hughes)
Winged Migration: Documentary Feature

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 20-22, 1998

Weekend Box Office:

Pleasantville – $2,246,978 ($34,718,343 total) {week 5}
American History X – $1,340,166 ($2,231,929 total) {week 4}
Elizabeth – $1,309,646 ($2,219,196 total) {week 3}
Life Is Beautiful – $754,522 ($4,002,492 total) {week 5}
A Bug’s Life – $291,121 ($291,121 total) {week 1}
Gods and Monsters – $177,424 ($406,931 total) {week 3}
Central Station – $35,708 ($35,708 total) {week 1}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Pleasantville – $1,328,919 ($20,533,295 total)
American History X – $792,608 ($1,320,019 total)
Elizabeth – $774,557 ($1,312,488 total)
Life Is Beautiful – $446,243 ($2,367,174 total)
A Bug’s Life – $172,176 ($172,176 total)
Gods and Monsters – $104,933 ($240,669 total)
Central Station – $21,119 ($21,119 total)

Oscar Details:

American History X: Actor (Edward Norton)
A Bug’s Life: Original Musical or Comedy Score
Central Station: Actress (Fernanda Montenegro), Foreign Language Film
Elizabeth: Picture, Actress (Cate Blanchett), Original Dramatic Score, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup
Gods and Monsters: Actor (Ian McKellen), Supporting Actress (Lynn Redgrave), Adapted Screenplay [O]
Life Is Beautiful: Picture, Director, Actor (Roberto Benigni) [O], Original Screenplay, Original Dramatic Score [O], Editing, Foreign Language Film [O]
Pleasantville: Original Dramatic Score, Art Direction, Costume Design

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 19-21, 1993

Weekend Box Office:

Addams Family Values – $14,117,545 ($14,117,545 total) {week 1}
The Nightmare Before Christmas – $3,282,205 ($38,887,265 total) {week 6}
The Remains of the Day – $2,731,222 ($7,408,431 total) {week 3}
The Piano – $1,502,325 ($1,761,691 total) {week 2}
Jurassic Park – $246,640 ($330,762,050 total) {week 24}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Addams Family Values – $7,370,320 ($7,370,320 total)
The Nightmare Before Christmas – $1,713,535 ($20,301,800 total)
The Remains of the Day – $1,425,884 ($3,867,705 total)
The Piano – $784,316 ($919,723 total)
Jurassic Park – $128,763 ($172,680,314 total)

Oscar Details:

Addams Family Values: Art Direction
Jurassic Park: Sound [O], Sound Effects [O], Visual Effects [O]
The Nightmare Before Christmas: Visual Effects
The Piano: Picture, Director, Actress (Holly Hunter) [O], Supporting Actress (Anna Paquin) [O], Original Screenplay [O], Editing, Cinematography, Costume Design
The Remains of the Day: Picture, Director, Anthony Hopkins, Actress (Emma Thompson), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Art Direction, Costume Design

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 18-20, 1988

Weekend Box Office:

The Accused – $1,903,803 ($23,948,462 total) {week 6}
A Cry in the Dark – $1,190,911 ($3,202,292 total) {week 2}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The Accused – $986,713 ($12,412,128 total)
A Cry in the Dark – $617,231 ($1,659,700 total)

Oscar Details:

The Accused: Actress (Jodie Foster) [O]
A Cry in the Dark: Actress (Meryl Streep)

35 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 25-27, 1983

Weekend Box Office:

Terms of Endearment – $3,498,813 ($4,590,002 total) {week 1}
The Big Chill – $2,933,954 ($36,151,051 total) {week 9}
The Right Stuff – $1,190,368 ($10,493,765 total) {week 6}
Educating Rita – $1,082,353 ($7,828,841 total) {week 10}
Return of the Jedi – $365,356 ($243,994,526 total) {week 27}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Terms of Endearment – $1,389,819 ($1,823,267 total)
The Big Chill – $1,165,442 ($14,360,127 total)
The Right Stuff – $472,845 ($4,168,393 total)
Educating Rita – $429,938 ($3,109,817 total)
Return of the Jedi – $145,129 ($96,920,903 total)

Oscar Details:

The Big Chill: Picture, Supporting Actress (Glenn Close), Original Screenplay
Educating Rita: Actor (Michael Caine), Actress (Julie Walters), Adapted Screenplay
Return of the Jedi: Original Score, Art Direction, Sound, Sound Effects, Visual Effects [O]
The Right Stuff: Picture, Supporting Actor (Sam Shepard), Original Score, Editing [O], Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound [O], Sound Effects [O]
Terms of Endearment: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actress (Shirley MacLaine) [O], Actress (Debra Winger), Supporting Actor (John Lithgow), Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson) [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score, Editing, Art Direction, Sound