Oscar in Box Office History (Week 48, 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

Allied (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Picture, Director, Actor (Brad Pitt), Actress (Marion Cotillard), Supporting Actor (Jared Harris, Matthew Goode), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Film Editing, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing.

Moana (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Animated Feature, Original Score, Original Song, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing.

Rules Don’t Apply (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Production Design, Costume Design.

Lion (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Picture, Director, Actor (Dev Patel), Actress (Rooney Mara), Supporting Actress (Nicole Kidman), Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing.

Miss Sloane (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Actress (Jessica Chastain), Original Screenplay.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Dec. 2-4, 2011

Weekend Box Office:

The Muppets – $11,082,755 ($56,357,170 total) {week 2}
Hugo – $7,557,709 ($25,121,185 total) {week 2}
The Descendants – $4,789,741 ($17,677,071 total) {week 3}
Puss in Boots – $3,042,241 ($139,514,442 total) {week 6}
My Week with Marilyn – $1,179,545 ($3,860,751 total) {week 2}
Moneyball – $570,147 ($73,787,485 total) {week 11}
The Ides of March – $515,897 ($40,123,590 total) {week 9}
Midnight in Paris – $241,434 ($55,944,592 total) {week 29}
Margin Call – $215,436 ($4,684,888 total) {week 7}
The Artist – $211,265 ($501,624 total) {week 2}
Real Steel – $183,228 ($83,425,009 total) {week 9}
The Help – $175,552 ($169,036,252 total) {week 17}
Anonymous – $71,883 ($4,395,456 total) {week 6}
Drive – $60,515 ($34,598,322 total) {week 12}
Rise of the Planet of the Apes – $43,435 ($176,646,396 total) {week 18}
Hell and Back Again – $1,300 ($32,460 total) {week 9}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The Muppets – $11,418,173 ($58,062,809 total)
Hugo – $7,786,442 ($25,881,473 total)
The Descendants – $4,934,702 ($18,212,064 total)
Puss in Boots – $3,134,314 ($143,736,821 total)
My Week with Marilyn – $1,215,244 ($3,977,596 total)
Moneyball – $587,402 ($76,020,650 total)
The Ides of March – $531,511 ($41,337,923 total)
Midnight in Paris – $248,741 ($57,637,745 total)
Margin Call – $221,956 ($4,826,675 total)
The Artist – $217,659 ($516,806 total)
Real Steel – $188,773 ($85,949,852 total)
The Help – $180,865 ($174,152,103 total)
Anonymous – $74,059 ($4,528,484 total)
Drive – $62,346 ($35,645,434 total)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes – $44,750 ($181,992,567 total)
Hell and Back Again – $1,339 ($33,442 total)

Oscar Details:

Anonymous: Costume Design
The Artist: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actor (Jean Dujardin) [O], Supporting Actress (Bérénice Bejo), Original Screenplay, Original Score [O], Film Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design [O]
The Descendants: Picture, Directing, Actor (George Clooney), Adapted Screenplay [O], Film Editing
Drive: Sound Editing
Hell and Back Again: Documentary Feature
The Help: Picture, Actress (Viola Davis), Supporting Actress (Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer [O])
Hugo: Picture, Directing, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Film Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design, Sound Mixing [O], Sound Editing [O], Visual Effects [O]
The Ides of March: Adapted Screenplay
Margin Call: Original Screenplay
Midnight in Paris: Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay [O], Art Direction
Moneyball: Picture, Actor (Brad Pitt), Supporting Actor (Jonah Hill), Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, Sound Mixing
The Muppets: Original Song (“Man or Muppet”)
My Week with Marilyn: Actress (Michelle Williams), Supporting Actor (Kenneth Branagh)
Puss in Boots: Animated Feature
Real Steel: Visual Effects
Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Visual Effects

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Dec. 1-3, 2006

Weekend Box Office:

Happy Feet – $17,545,418 ($121,501,018 total) {week 3}
Borat – $4,746,746 ($116,241,347 total) {week 5}
The Queen – $1,366,222 ($23,087,069 total) {week 10}
Babel – $101,595 ($16,774,393 total) {week 6}
The Departed – $825,361 ($11,802,823 total) {week 9}
Volver – $380,261 ($1,869,832 total) {week 5}
The Prestige – $344,918 ($51,648,073 total) {week 7}
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – $179,152 ($423,271,331 total) {week 22}
Little Miss Sunshine – $105,727 ($59,084,296 total) {week 19}
Little Children – $104,377 ($1,819,876 total) {week 9}
Flags of Our Fathers – $95,257 ($33,479,810 total) {week 7}
The Illusionist – $80,412 ($39,523,246 total) {week 16}
Marie Antoinette – $70,373 ($15,962,471 total) {week 7}
The Last King of Scotland – $48,869 ($3,439,441 total) {week 10}
Jesus Camp – $13,884 ($823,591 total) {week 12}
The Devil Wears Prada – $8,175 ($124,732,962 total) {week 23}
Iraq in Fragments – $801 ($64,116 total) {week 4}
Half Nelson – $489 ($2,687,199 total) {week 17}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Happy Feet – $21,884,895 ($151,551,651 total)
Borat – $5,920,750 ($144,991,115 total)
The Queen – $1,704,127 ($28,797,153 total)
Babel – $126,722 ($20,923,174 total)
The Departed – $1,029,496 ($14,721,994 total)
Volver – $474,310 ($2,332,294 total)
The Prestige – $430,226 ($64,422,100 total)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – $223,461 ($527,958,286 total)
Little Miss Sunshine – $131,876 ($73,697,511 total)
Little Children – $130,192 ($2,269,983 total)
Flags of Our Fathers – $118,817 ($41,760,313 total)
The Illusionist – $100,300 ($49,298,461 total)
Marie Antoinette – $87,778 ($19,910,441 total)
The Last King of Scotland – $60,956 ($4,290,112 total)
Jesus Camp – $17,318 ($1,027,288 total)
The Devil Wears Prada – $10,197 ($155,582,946 total)
Iraq in Fragments – $999 ($79,974 total)
Half Nelson – $610 ($3,351,819 total)

Oscar Details:

Babel: Picture, Supporting Actress (Adriana Barraza, Rinko Kikuchi), Director, Original Screenplay, Original Score [O], Editing
Borat: Adapted Screenplay
The Departed: Picture [O], Director [O], Supporting Actor (Mark Wahlberg), Adapted Screenplay [O], Editing
The Devil Wears Prada: Actress (Meryl Streep), Costume Design
Flags of Our Fathers: Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
Half Nelson: Actor (Ryan Gosling)
Happy Feet: Animated Feature [O]
The Illusionist: Cinematography
Iraq in Fragments: Documentary Feature
Jesus Camp: Documentary Feature
The Last King of Scotland: Actor (Forest Whitaker [O])
Little Children: Actress (Kate Winslet), Supporting Actor (Jackie Earle Haley), Adapted Screenplay
Little Miss Sunshine: Picture, Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin [O]), Supporting Actress (Abigail Breslin), Original Screenplay [O]
Marie Antoinette: Costume Design [O]
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest: Art Direction, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects [O]
The Prestige: Cinematography, Art Direction
The Queen: Picture, Director, Actress (Helen Mirren [O]), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Costume Design
Volver: Actress (Penelope Cruz)

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 2001

Weekend Box Office:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – $23,642,327 ($219,670,289 total) {week 3}
Monsters, Inc. – $9,105,664 ($204,025,728 total) {week 5}
Amelie – $1,358,649 ($975,420 total) {week 5}
The Man Who Wasn’t There – $596,865 ($5,434,557 total) {week 5}
Training Day – $221,281 ($75,261,635 total) {week 9}
Mulholland Drive – $117,820 ($5,151,278 total) {week 8}
In the Bedroom – $98,955 ($244,369 total) {week 2}
Shrek – $42,722 ($267,652,016 total) {week 29}
Moulin Rouge! – $42,696 ($56,908,897 total) {week 29}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – $34,126,822 ($317,085,912 total)
Monsters, Inc. – $13,143,688 ($294,503,569 total)
Amelie – $1,961,159 ($1,407,983 total)
The Man Who Wasn’t There – $861,552 ($7,844,581 total)
Training Day – $319,411 ($108,637,378 total)
Mulholland Drive – $170,069 ($7,435,679 total)
In the Bedroom – $142,838 ($352,738 total)
Shrek – $61,668 ($386,345,755 total)
Moulin Rouge! – $61,630 ($82,145,881 total)

Oscar Details:

Amelie: Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound, Foreign Language Film
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Original Score, Art Direction, Costume Design
In the Bedroom: Picture, Actor (Tom Wilkinson), Actress (Sissy Spacek), Supporting Actress (Marisa Tomei), Adapted Screenplay
The Man Who Wasn’t There: Cinematography
Monsters, Inc.: Animated Feature, Original Song (If I Didn’t Have You [O]), Original Score, Sound Editing
Moulin Rouge!: Picture, Actress (Nicole Kidman), Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O], Makeup, Sound
Mulholland Drive: Director
Shrek: Animated Feature [O], Adapted Screenplay
Training Day: Actor (Denzel Washington [O]), Supporting Actor (Ethan Hawke)

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 1996

Weekend Box Office:

Star Trek: First Contact – $17,801,017 ($60,850,689 total) {week 2}
The Mirror Has Two Faces – $6,016,111 ($33,502,444 total) {week 3}
The English Patient – $4,340,950 ($9,285,765 total) {week 3}
Romeo + Juliet – $2,413,463 ($39,811,469 total) {week 5}
Sleepers – $863,877 ($50,864,831 total) {week 7}
The Crucible – $62,995 ($101,610 total) {week 1}
First Wives Club – $433,535 ($101,259,383 total) {week 11}
Independence Day – $295,282 ($305,891,406 total) {week 22}
The Rock – $5,509 ($134,067,443 total) {week 26}
Sling Blade – $28,139 ($36,644 total) {week 1}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Star Trek: First Contact – $32,903,690 ($112,477,405 total)
The Mirror Has Two Faces – $11,120,278 ($61,926,463 total)
The English Patient – $8,023,883 ($17,163,959 total)
Romeo + Juliet – $4,461,084 ($73,588,168 total)
Sleepers – $1,596,804 ($94,019,382 total)
The Crucible – $116,441 ($187,818 total)
First Wives Club – $801,353 ($187,169,493 total)
Independence Day – $545,804 ($565,414,658 total)
The Rock – $10,183 ($247,812,446 total)
Sling Blade – $52,013 ($67,733 total)

Oscar Details:

The Crucible: Supporting Actress (Joan Allen), Adapted Screenplay
The English Patient: Picture [O], Director [O], Actor (Ralph Fiennes), Actress (Kristin Scott Thomas), Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche [O]), Adapted Screenplay, Original Dramatic Score [O], Editing [O], Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O], Sound [O]
First Wives Club: Original Comedy or Musical Score
Independence Day: Sound, Visual Effects [O]
The Mirror Has Two Faces: Supporting Actress (Lauren Bacall), Original Song (“I’ve Finally Found Someone”)
The Rock: Sound
Romeo + Juliet: Art Direction
Sleepers: Original Dramatic Score
Sling Blade: Actor (Billy Bob Thornton), Adapted Screenplay [O]
Star Trek: First Contact: Makeup

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 1991

Weekend Box Office:

The Addams Family – $20,133,616 ($55,562,137 total) {week 2}
Beauty and the Beast – $12,239,650 ($26,476,215 total) {week 3}
Cape Fear – $9,260,475 ($38,246,382 total) {week 3}
For the Boys – $4,533,138 ($5,941,446 total) {week 2}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The Addams Family – $39,071,649 ($107,824,860 total)
Beauty and the Beast – $23,752,480 ($51,380,208 total)
Cape Fear – $17,971,041 ($74,221,601 total)
For the Boys – $8,797,087 ($11,530,075 total)

Oscar Details:

The Addams Family: Costume Design
Beauty and the Beast: Picture, Original Song (“Be Our Guest”, “Beauty and the Beast” [O], “Belle”), Original Score [O], Sound
Cape Fear: Actor (Robert De Niro), Supporting Actress (Juliette Lewis)
For the Boys: Actress (Bette Midler)

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Nov. 28-30, 1986

Weekend Box Office:

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – $16,881,888 ($25,402,366 total) {week 1}
An American Tail – $7,412,815 ($14,954,138 total) {week 2}
Crocodile Dundee – $7,266,867 ($94,267,407 total) {week 10}
The Color of Money – $3,204,806 ($39,619,628 total) {week 7}
Peggy Sue Got Married – $2,643,640 ($35,237,758 total) {week 8}
Stand By Me – $1,430,279 ($45,677,316 total) {week 17}
Top Gun – $1,230,908 ($166,895,594 total) {week 29}
Children of a Lesser God – $1,166,301 ($19,113,597 total) {week 9}
Hoosiers – $274,830 ($926,414 total) {week 3}
The Mission – $24,140 ($1,090,192 total) {week 5}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – $37,176,557 ($55,939,981 total)
An American Tail – $16,324,178 ($32,931,350 total)
Crocodile Dundee – $16,002,777 ($207,591,567 total)
The Color of Money – $7,057,484 ($87,248,615 total)
Peggy Sue Got Married – $5,821,709 ($77,599,052 total)
Stand By Me – $3,149,698 ($100,588,591 total)
Top Gun – $2,710,652 ($367,530,189 total)
Children of a Lesser God – $2,568,377 ($42,091,129 total)
Hoosiers – $605,219 ($2,040,108 total)
The Mission – $53,160 ($2,400,773 total)

Oscar Details:

An American Tail: Original Song (“Somewhere Out There”)
Children of a Lesser God: Picture, Actor (William Hurt), Actress (Marlee Matlin [O]), Supporting Actress (Piper Laurie), Adapted Screenplay
The Color of Money: Actor (Paul Newman [O]), Supporting Actress (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction
Crocodile Dundee: Original Screenplay
Hoosiers: Supporting Actor (Dennis Hopper), Original Score
The Mission: Picture, Director, Original Score, Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Costume Design
Peggy Sue Got Married: Actress (Kathleen Turner), Cinematography, Costume Design
Stand By Me: Adapted Screenplay
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home: Original Score, Cinematography, Sound, Sound Effects Story
Top Gun: Original Song (“Take My Breath Away” [O]), Editing, Sound, Sound Effects