Every week, we’ll take a look back 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 (starting in January) 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

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Picture, Director, Actor (Gary Oldman), Original Score, Editing.

We Need to Talk About Kevin (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Actress (Tilda Swinton), Supporting Actor (John C. Reilly), Original Screenplay.

Young Adult (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Picture, Director, Actress (Charlize Theron), Supporting Actor (Patton Oswalt), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Editing, Cinematography.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Dec. 8-10, 2006

Weekend Box Office:

1. Apocalypto – $15,005,604 ($15,005,604 total) {week 1}
2. Happy Feet – $12,904,413 ($137,932,841 total) {week 4}
5. Blood Diamond – $8,648,324 ($8,648,324 total) {week 1}
11. Borat – $2,571,596 ($120,266,165 total) {week 6}
14. The Queen – $875,874 ($24,547,384 total) {week 11}
19. Babel – $456,581 ($17,605,771 total) {week 7}
20. The Departed – $438,302 ($118,740,373 total) {week 10}
21. Volver – $371,788 ($2,375,995 total) {week 6}
29. The Prestige – $140,403 ($51,900,823 total) {week 8}
35. Little Miss Sunshine – $80,071 ($59,214,502 total) {week 20}
36. Little Children – $65,714 ($1,927,684 total) {week 10}
38. Flags of Our Fathers – $53,757 ($33,574,332 total) {week 8}
40. The Illusionist – $52,751 ($39,617,631 total) {week 17}
49. The Last King of Scotland – $29,219 ($3,487,930 total) {week 11}
63. Days of Glory – $10,996 ($13,742 total) {week 1}
67. Jesus Camp – $9,496 ($840,645 total) {week 13}
76. Half Nelson – $5,488 ($2,694,973 total) {week 18}
93. The Devil Wears Prada – $1,941 ($124,739,606 total) {week 24}

Oscar Details:

• Apocalypto: Makeup, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
• Babel: Picture, Supporting Actress (Adriana Barraza, Rinko Kikuchi), Directing, Original Screenplay, Original Score [O], Editing
• Blood Diamond: Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Supporting Actor (Djimon Hounsou), Editing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
• Borat: Adapted Screenplay
• Days of Glory: Foreign Language Film
• 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
• 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]
• The Prestige: Cinematography, Art Direction
• The Queen: Picture, Directing, Actress (Helen Mirren [O]), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Costume Design
• Volver: Actress (Penelope Cruz)

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Dec. 7-9, 2001

Weekend Box Office:

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – $38,107,822 ($38,107,822 total) {week 4}
4. Monsters, Inc. – $6,597,454 ($212,391,025 total) {week 6}
9. Amelie – $1,005,599 ($11,303,432 total) {week 6}
16. Training Day – $352,772 ($75,685,034 total) {week 10}
17. The Man Who Wasn’t There – $340,502 ($5,969,582 total) {week 6}
30. The Affair of the Necklace – $88,846 ($261,803 total) {week 2}
32. In the Bedroom – $81,516 ($373,546 total) {week 3}
37. Mulholland Drive – $70,755 ($5,265,058 total) {week 9}
51. Moulin Rouge! – $24,649 ($56,951,243 total) {week 30}
53. No Man’s Land – $22,645 ($22,645 total) {week 1}

Oscar Details:

• The Affair of the Necklace: Costume Design
• 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 (David Lynch)
• No Man’s Land: Foreign Language Film
• Training Day: Actor (Denzel Washington [O]), Supporting Actor (Ethan Hawke)

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Dec. 6-8, 1996

Weekend Box Office:

3. Star Trek: First Contact – $6,609,903 ($71,146,315 total) {week 3}
7. The English Patient – $2,707,595 ($13,219,641 total) {week 4}
8. The Mirror Has Two Faces – $2,381,388 ($37,166,009 total) {week 4}
10. Romeo + Juliet – $1,313,651 ($41,668,083 total) {week 27}
999. Shine – $168,882 ($728,925 total) {week 2}
999. Independence Day – $91,511 ($306,052,958 total) {week 23}
999. The Crucible – $69,880 ($185,692 total) {week 2}

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]
• Independence Day: Sound, Visual Effects [O]
• The Mirror Has Two Faces: Supporting Actress (Lauren Bacall), Original Song (“I’ve Finally Found Someone”)
• Romeo + Juliet: Art Direction
• Shine: Picture, Director, Actor (Geoffrey Rush) [O], Supporting Actor (Armin Mueller-Stahl), Original Screenplay, Original Dramatic Score, Editing
• Star Trek: First Contact: Makeup

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Dec. 6-8, 1991

Weekend Box Office:

1. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country – $18,162,837 ($18,162,837 total) {week 1}
2. The Addams Family – $8,606,326 ($67,112,265 total) {week 3}
4. Beauty and the Beast – $5,969,372 ($34,112,416 total) {week 4}
5. Cape Fear – $4,856,355 ($46,044,067 total) {week 4}
6. For the Boys – $2,597,491 ($9,754,780 total) {week 3}

Oscar Details:

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

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Dec. 5-7, 1986

Weekend Box Office:

1. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – $8,833,818 ($38,938,152 total) {week 2}
2. Heartbreak Ridge – $8,100,840 ($8,100,840 total) {week 1}
3. An American Tail – $4,019,890 ($20,237,639 total) {week 3}
4. Crocodile Dundee – $3,803,625 ($99,480,811 total) {week 11}
6. The Color of Money – $1,503,724 ($41,680,532 total) {week 8}
7. Peggy Sue Got Married – $1,401,130 ($36,986,568 total) {week 9}
10. Stand By Me – $847,517 ($46,681,853 total) {week 18}
11. Top Gun – $668,089 ($167,827,777 total) {week 30}
12. Children of a Lesser God – $647,654 ($20,024,379 total) {week 10}
999. The Mission – $147,322 ($1,298,091 total) {week 6}
999. Hoosiers – $116,972 ($1,102,423 total) {week 4}

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
• Heartbreak Ridge: Sound
• Hoosiers: Supporting Actor (Dennis Hopper), Original Score
• The Mission: Picture, Directing, 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 Editing
• Top Gun: Original Song (“Take My Breath Away” [O]), Editing, Sound, Sound Effects Editing