Oscar in Box Office History (Week 5, 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

Kung Fu Panda 3 (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Animated Feature.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 4-6, 2011

Weekend Box Office:

The King’s Speech – $7,712,353 ($83,527,544 total) {week 11}
True Grit – $4,640,139 ($154,902,541 total) {week 7}
Black Swan – $3,373,851 ($95,861,708 total) {week 10}
The Fighter – $2,838,173 ($82,400,738 total) {week 9}
Tangled – $1,850,628 ($192,073,303 total) {week 11}
Tron: Legacy – $1,363,991 ($168,758,238 total) {week 8}
127 Hours – $1,348,746 ($15,679,195 total) {week 14}
Blue Valentine – $786,441 ($7,268,846 total) {week 6}
Biutiful – $641,720 ($1,426,215 total) {week 2}
Country Strong – $617,047 ($19,817,182 total) {week 7}
Another Year – $443,589 ($1,645,606 total) {week 6}
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I – $373,378 ($292,761,214 total) {week 12}
The Social Network – $245,226 ($96,398,570 total) {week 19}
Barney’s Version – $204,051 ($866,503 total) {week 4}
The Way Back – $140,650 ($2,531,524 total) {week 3}
The Illusionist – $133,988 ($537,590 total) {week 6}
Rabbit Hole – $122,682 ($1,723,700 total) {week 8}
Inside Job – $38,896 ($3,884,831 total) {week 18}
Winter’s Bone – $37,711 ($6,356,503 total) {week 35}
Waste Land – $7,488 ($131,721 total) {week 15}
Animal Kingdom – $3,813 ($1,036,519 total) {week 26}
Dogtooth – $3,734 ($97,016 total) {week 33}
The Tempest – $2,093 ($273,712 total) {week 9}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The King’s Speech – $7,945,766 ($86,055,490 total)
True Grit – $4,780,572 ($159,590,638 total)
Black Swan – $3,475,960 ($98,762,945 total)
The Fighter – $2,924,070 ($84,894,581 total)
Tangled – $1,906,637 ($197,886,366 total)
Tron: Legacy – $1,405,272 ($173,865,675 total)
127 Hours – $1,389,566 ($16,153,723 total)
Blue Valentine – $810,242 ($7,488,836 total)
Biutiful – $661,142 ($1,469,379 total)
Country Strong – $635,722 ($20,416,945 total)
Another Year – $457,014 ($1,695,410 total)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I – $384,678 ($301,621,579 total)
The Social Network – $252,648 ($99,316,055 total)
Barney’s Version – $210,227 ($892,728 total)
The Way Back – $144,907 ($2,608,140 total)
The Illusionist – $138,043 ($553,860 total)
Rabbit Hole – $126,395 ($1,775,867 total)
Inside Job – $40,073 ($4,002,405 total)
Winter’s Bone – $38,852 ($6,548,881 total)
Waste Land – $7,715 ($135,708 total)
Animal Kingdom – $3,928 ($1,067,889 total)
Dogtooth – $3,847 ($99,952 total)
The Tempest – $2,156 ($281,996 total)

Oscar Details:

127 Hours: Picture, Actor (James Franco), Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“If I Rise”), Editing
Animal Kingdom: Supporting Actress (Jacki Weaver)
Another Year: Original Screenplay
Barney’s Version: Makeup
Biutiful: Actor (Javier Bardem), Foreign Language Film
Black Swan: Picture, Direcing, Actress (Natalie Portman) [O], Editing, Cinematography
Blue Valentine: Actress (Michelle Williams)
Country Strong: Original Song (“Coming Home”)
Dogtooth: Foreign Language Film
The Fighter: Picture, Directing, Supporting Actor (Christian Bale) [O], Supporting Actress (Amy Adams, Melissa Leo [O]), Original Screenplay, Editing
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I: Art Direction, Visual Effects
The Illusionist: Animated Feature
Inside Job: Documentary Feature
The King’s Speech: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actor (Colin Firth) [O], Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), Original Screenplay [O], Original Score, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound Mixing
Rabbit Hole: Actress (Nicole Kidman)
The Social Network: Picture, Directing, Actor (Jesse Eisenberg), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Editing [O], Cinematography, Sound Mixing
Tangled: Original Song (“I See the Light”)
The Tempest: Costume Design
Tron: Legacy: Sound Editing
True Grit: Picture, Directing, Actor (Jeff Bridges), Supporting Actress (Hailee Steinfeld), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
Waste Land: Documentary Feature
The Way Back: Makeup
Winter’s Bone: Picture, Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Supporting Actor (John Hawkes), Adapted Screenplay

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 3-5, 2006

Weekend Box Office:

Brokeback Mountain – $6,003,544 ($60,102,890 total) {week 9}
Walk the Line – $3,287,475 ($110,611,645 total) {week 12}
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – $3,072,090 ($281,934,379 total) {week 9}
Capote – $2,291,075 ($17,996,465 total) {week 19}
Match Point – $1,840,093 ($16,471,243 total) {week 6}
Munich – $1,675,150 ($42,960,295 total) {week 7}
Good Night, and Good Luck. – $1,522,238 ($26,755,301 total) {week 18}
The New World – $1,424,351 ($10,160,883 total) {week 7}
King Kong – $1,188,045 ($214,870,795 total) {week 8}
Mrs. Henderson Presents – $1,038,849 ($3,214,755 total) {week 9}
Memoirs of a Geisha – $888,751 ($55,347,182 total) {week 9}
Syriana – $662,388 ($48,219,974 total) {week 11}
Transamerica – $542,640 ($2,222,046 total) {week 10}
Pride & Prejudice – $230,112 ($37,778,915 total) {week 13}
The Squid and the Whale – $105,715 ($6,770,515 total) {week 18}
Paradise Now – $31,462 ($1,212,768 total) {week 15}
A History of Violence – $22,228 ($31,493,782 total) {week 20}
Darwin’s Nightmare – $3,711 ($120,301 total) {week 27}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Brokeback Mountain – $7,488,390 ($74,968,032 total)
Walk the Line – $4,100,560 ($137,969,029 total)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – $3,831,905 ($351,664,714 total)
Capote – $2,857,723 ($22,447,499 total)
Match Point – $2,295,200 ($20,545,047 total)
Munich – $2,089,462 ($53,585,589 total)
Good Night, and Good Luck. – $1,898,730 ($33,372,643 total)
The New World – $1,776,633 ($12,673,956 total)
King Kong – $1,481,882 ($268,014,411 total)
Mrs. Henderson Presents – $1,295,786 ($4,009,855 total)
Memoirs of a Geisha – $1,108,564 ($69,036,103 total)
Syriana – $826,215 ($60,146,136 total)
Transamerica – $676,850 ($2,771,621 total)
Pride & Prejudice – $287,025 ($47,122,708 total)
The Squid and the Whale – $131,861 ($8,445,055 total)
Paradise Now – $39,243 ($1,512,720 total)
A History of Violence – $27,726 ($39,283,084 total)
Darwin’s Nightmare – $4,629 ($150,055 total)

Oscar Details:

Brokeback Mountain: Picture, Directing [O], Actor (Heath Ledger), Supporting Actor (Jake Gyllenhaal), Supporting Actress (Michelle Williams), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Cinematography
Capote: Picture, Directing, Actor (Philip Seymour Hoffman) [O], Supporting Actress (Catherine Keener), Adapted Screenplay
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Makeup [O], Sound Mixing, Visual Effects
Darwin’s Nightmare: Documentary Feature
Good Night, and Good Luck.: Picture, Directing, Actor (David Strathairn), Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction
A History of Violence: Supporting Actor (William Hurt), Adapted Screenplay
King Kong: Art Direction, Sound Mixing [O], Sound Editing [O], Visual Effects [O]
Match Point: Original Screenplay
Memoirs of a Geisha: Original Score, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O], Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
Mrs. Henderson Presents: Actress (Judi Dench), Costume Design
Munich: Picture, Directing, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Editing
The New World: Cinematography
Paradise Now: Foreign Language Film
Pride & Prejudice: Actress (Keira Knightley), Original Score, Art Direction, Costume Design
The Squid and the Whale: Original Screenplay
Syriana: Supporting Actor (George Clooney) [O], Original Screenplay
Transamerica: Actress (Felicity Huffman), Original Song (“Travelin’ Thru”)
Walk the Line: Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Actress (Reese Witherspoon) [O], Editing, Costume Design, Sound Mixing

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 2-4, 2001

Weekend Box Office:

Cast Away – $7,469,464 ($203,010,647 total) {week 7}
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – $6,816,527 ($52,982,874 total) {week 9}
Traffic – $6,303,110 ($64,784,672 total) {week 6}
Chocolat – $3,649,243 ($22,409,992 total) {week 8}
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – $3,647,208 ($17,023,108 total) {week 7}
The Emperor’s New Groove – $1,985,657 ($81,859,176 total) {week 8}
Shadow of the Vampire – $1,262,493 ($4,447,620 total) {week 6}
Meet the Parents – $360,225 ($164,454,835 total) {week 18}
102 Dalmatians – $321,243 ($64,087,871 total) {week 11}
Malena – $320,173 ($1,752,586 total) {week 7}
Billy Elliot – $212,085 ($19,373,260 total) {week 17}
Before Night Falls – $205,873 ($1,110,467 total) {week 7}
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – $143,925 ($259,674,120 total) {week 12}
You Can Count on Me – $139,775 ($6,066,773 total) {week 13}
Quills – $101,100 ($5,754,301 total) {week 11}
Requiem for a Dream – $43,298 ($3,284,476 total) {week 18}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Cast Away – $10,781,894 ($293,038,337 total)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – $9,839,404 ($76,478,813 total)
Traffic – $9,098,305 ($93,514,270 total)
Chocolat – $5,267,547 ($32,347,992 total)
O Brother, Where Art Thou? – $5,264,609 ($24,572,225 total)
The Emperor’s New Groove – $2,866,222 ($118,160,683 total)
Shadow of the Vampire – $1,822,362 ($6,419,974 total)
Meet the Parents – $519,971 ($237,384,453 total)
102 Dalmatians – $463,702 ($92,508,464 total)
Malena – $462,158 ($2,529,793 total)
Billy Elliot – $306,137 ($27,964,582 total)
Before Night Falls – $297,170 ($1,602,918 total)
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas – $207,750 ($374,829,958 total)
You Can Count on Me – $201,760 ($8,757,162 total)
Quills – $145,934 ($8,306,120 total)
Requiem for a Dream – $62,499 ($4,741,019 total)

Oscar Details:

102 Dalmatians: Costume Design
Before Night Falls: Actor (Javier Bardem)
Billy Elliot: Directing, Supporting Actress (Julie Walters), Original Screenplay
Cast Away: Actor (Tom Hanks), Sound
Chocolat: Picture, Actress (Juliette Binoche), Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Picture, Directing, Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“A Love Before Time”), Original Score [O], Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design, Foreign Language Film [O]
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup [O]
The Emperor’s New Groove: Original Song (“My Funny Friend and Me”)
Malena: Original Score, Cinematography
Meet the Parents: Original Song (“A Fool in Love”)
O Brother, Where Art Thou?: Cinematography
Quills: Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Art Direction, Costume Design
Requiem for a Dream: Actress (Ellen Burstyn)
Shadow of the Vampire: Supporting Actor (Willem Dafoe), Makeup
Traffic: Picture, Directing [O], Supporting Actor (Benicio Del Toro) [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Editing [O]
You Can Count on Me: Actress (Laura Linney), Original Screenplay

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 2-4, 1996

Weekend Box Office:

Mr. Holland’s Opus – $8,136,597 ($31,240,216 total) {week 6}
Dead Man Walking – $3,571,599 ($9,959,557 total) {week 6}
12 Monkeys – $2,925,795 ($49,279,939 total) {week 6}
Sense and Sensibility – $2,226,508 ($21,164,146 total) {week 8}
Leaving Las Vegas – $1,614,681 ($11,524,114 total) {week 15}
Toy Story – $1,555,302 ($179,411,323 total) {week 11}
Restoration – $1,212,298 ($1,837,139 total) {week 6}
Sabrina – $1,009,980 ($50,368,360 total) {week 8}
Antonia’s Line – $45,051 ($45,051 total) {week 1}
Braveheart – $949 ($67,047,311 total) {week 37}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Mr. Holland’s Opus – $15,039,818 ($57,744,924 total)
Dead Man Walking – $6,601,802 ($18,409,407 total)
12 Monkeys – $5,408,087 ($91,089,842 total)
Sense and Sensibility – $4,115,514 ($39,120,152 total)
Leaving Las Vegas – $2,984,603 ($21,301,360 total)
Toy Story – $2,874,846 ($331,626,812 total)
Restoration – $2,240,831 ($3,395,798 total)
Sabrina – $1,866,863 ($93,101,697 total)
Antonia’s Line – $83,273 ($83,273 total)
Braveheart – $1,754 ($123,931,342 total)

Oscar Details:

12 Monkeys: Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt), Costume Design
Antonia’s Line: Foreign Language Film [O]
Braveheart: Picture [O], Directing [O], Original Screenplay, Original Dramatic Score, Editing, Cinematography [O], Costume Design, Makeup [O], Sound, Sound Effects Editing [O]
Dead Man Walking: Directing, Actor (Sean Penn), Actress (Susan Sarandon) [O], Original Song (“Dead Man Walkin’”)
Leaving Las Vegas: Directing, Actor (Nicolas Cage) [O], Actress (Elisabeth Shue), Adapted Screenplay
Mr. Holland’s Opus: Actor (Richard Dreyfuss)
Restoration: Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O]
Sabrina: Original Song (“Moonlight”), Original Musical or Comedy Score
Sense and Sensibility: Picture, Actress (Emma Thompson), Supporting Actress (Kate Winslet), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Dramatic Score, Cinematography, Costume Design
Toy Story: Original Screenplay, Original Song (“You’ve Got a Friend in Me”), Original Musical or Comedy Score

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 1-3, 1991

Weekend Box Office:

Home Alone – $8,215,408 ($213,551,706 total) {week 12}
Dances With Wolves – $4,787,941 ($98,652,878 total) {week 13}
Awakenings – $4,476,785 ($32,551,985 total) {week 7}
Green Card – $4,050,705 ($15,240,976 total) {week 7}
The Grifters – $2,483,250 ($6,859,468 total) {week 9}
Hamlet – $2,341,120 ($10,807,476 total) {week 7}
Edward Scissorhands – $1,602,691 ($47,587,932 total) {week 9}
The Godfather, Part III – $1,501,912 ($61,079,527 total) {week 7}
Alice – $1,305,353 ($3,651,866 total) {week 7}
Misery – $1,081,421 ($53,233,494 total) {week 10}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

Home Alone – $15,942,965 ($414,422,194 total)
Dances With Wolves – $9,291,562 ($191,447,509 total)
Awakenings – $8,687,728 ($63,170,954 total)
Green Card – $7,860,869 ($29,576,906 total)
The Grifters – $4,819,039 ($13,311,604 total)
Hamlet – $4,543,219 ($20,973,178 total)
Edward Scissorhands – $3,110,210 ($92,349,977 total)
The Godfather, Part III – $2,914,637 ($118,532,004 total)
Alice – $2,533,191 ($7,086,875 total)
Misery – $2,098,625 ($103,305,854 total)

Oscar Details:

Alice: Original Screenplay
Awakenings: Picture, Actor (Robert De Niro), Adapted Screenplay
Dances With Wolves: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actor (Kevin Costner), Supporting Actor (Graham Greene), Supporting Actress (Mary McDonnell), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Editing [O], Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound [O]
Edward Scissorhands: Makeup
The Godfather, Part III: Picture, Directing, Supporting Actor (Andy Garcia), Original Song, Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction
Green Card: Original Screenplay
The Grifters: Directing, Actress (Anjelica Huston), Supporting Actress (Annette Bening), Adapted Screenplay
Hamlet: Art Direction, Costume Design
Home Alone: Original Song (“Somewhere in My Memory”), Original Score
Misery: Actress (Kathy Bates) [O]

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Jan. 31-Feb. 2, 1986

Weekend Box Office:

The Color Purple – $4,219,418 ($39,203,192 total) {week 7}
Murphy’s Romance – $4,195,468 ($6,359,028 total) {week 6}
Out of Africa – $3,300,070 ($50,757,129 total) {week 7}
Back to the Future – $610,600 ($198,442,630 total) {week 31}

Weekend Box Office (Adjusted for Inflation):

The Color Purple – $9,291,818 ($86,331,558 total)
Murphy’s Romance – $9,239,076 ($14,003,574 total)
Out of Africa – $7,267,270 ($111,775,133 total)
Back to the Future – $1,344,637 ($437,001,695 total)

Oscar Details:

Back to the Future: Original Screenplay, Original Song (“The Power of Love’), Sound, Sound Effects Editing [O]
The Color Purple: Picture, Actress (Whoopi Goldberg), Supporting Actress (Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey), Adapted Screenplay, Original Song (“Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)”)
Murphy’s Romance: Actor (James Garner), Cinematography
Out of Africa: Picture [O], Directing [O], Actress (Meryl Streep), Supporting Actor (Klaus Maria Brandauer), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Film Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Costume Design, Sound [O]