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

The Iron Lady (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Actress (Meryl Streep) / Makeup.

A Separation (Limited)

Oscar Potential: Original Screenplay / Foreign Language Film.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Dec. 29-31, 2006

Weekend Box Office:

2. The Pursuit of Happyness – $19,362,441 ($98,411,670 total) {week 3}
3. Dreamgirls – $14,100,050 ($37,064,395 total) {week 3}
5. The Good Shepherd – $11,674,784 ($52,532,601 total) {week 2}
9. Happy Feet – $7,650,181 ($175,967,627 total) {week 7}
11. Blood Diamond – $4,895,871 ($35,726,534 total) {week 4}
14. Apocalypto – $3,264,798 ($42,654,236 total) {week 4}
17. The Queen – $934,060 ($28,196,606 total) {week 14}
19. Volver – $619,913 ($4,753,067 total) {week 9}
20. Borat – $570,744 ($125,601,414 total) {week 9}
21. Pan’s Labyrinth – $568,641 ($568,641 total) {week 1}
22. Children of Men – $501,003 ($1,082,804 total) {week 1}
24. Babel – $478,624 ($19,825,138 total) {week 10}
25. The Curse of the Golden Flower – $448,268 ($1,520,292 total) {week 2}
26. Notes on a Scandal – $414,487 ($613,344 total) {week 1}
29. The Departed – $342,787 ($120,359,613 total) {week 13}
32. Little Children – $158,934 ($2,475,049 total) {week 13}
33. The Prestige – $150,953 ($52,474,548 total) {week 11}
37. The Good German – $116,119 ($458,653 total) {week 3}
38. Letters from Iwo Jima – $87,932 ($316,369 total) {week 2}
44. Little Miss Sunshine – $43,459 ($59,489,083 total) {week 23}
49. Venus – $34,329 ($113,518 total) {week 2}
51. The Illusionist – $26,019 ($39,771,393 total) {week 20}
52. The Last King of Scotland – $25,743 ($3,619,600 total) {week 14}
81. Jesus Camp – $2,014 ($872,124 total) {week 16}

Oscar Details:

• Apocalypto: Makeup, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
• Babel: Picture, Supporting Actress (Adriana Barraza, Rinko Kikuchi), Director, Original Screenplay, Original Score [O], Editing
• Blood Diamond: Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), Supporting Actor (Djimon Hounsou), Editing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing
• Borat: Adapted Screenplay
• Children of Men: Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography
• The Curse of the Golden Flower: Costume Design
• The Departed: Picture [O], Director [O], Supporting Actor (Mark Wahlberg), Adapted Screenplay [O], Editing
• Dreamgirls: Supporting Actor (Eddie Murphy), Supporting Actress (Jennifer Hudson) [O], Original Song (“Listen”, “Love You I Do”, “Patience”), Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound [O]
• The Good German: Original Score
• The Good Shepherd: Art Direction
• Happy Feet: Animated Feature [O]
• The Illusionist: Cinematography
• Jesus Camp: Documentary Feature
• The Last King of Scotland: Actor (Forest Whitaker [O])
• Letters from Iwo Jima: Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Sound Editing [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]
• Notes on a Scandal: Actress (Judi Dench), Supporting Actress (Cate Blanchett), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score
• Pan’s Labyrinth: Original Screenplay, Original Score, Cinematography [O], Art Direction [O], Makeup [O], Foreign Language Film
• The Prestige: Cinematography, Art Direction
• The Pursuit of Happyness: Actor (Will Smith)
• The Queen: Picture, Director, Actress (Helen Mirren [O]), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Costume Design
• Venus: Actor (Peter O’Toole)
• Volver: Actress (Penelope Cruz)

10 Years Ago: The Weekend of Dec. 28-30, 2001

Weekend Box Office:

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – $38,695,582 ($155,862,412 total) {week 2}
3. Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius – $15,035,649 ($42,205,145 total) {week 2}
4. Ali – $14,710,892 ($34,736,970 total) {week 1}
6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – $10,978,760 ($285,634,174 total) {week 7}
8. A Beautiful Mind – $7,780,495 ($13,711,171 total) {week 2}
9. Monsters, Inc. – $6,103,901 ($235,848,871 total) {week 9}
17. Amelie – $1,126,954 ($15,740,742 total) {week 9}
18. In the Bedroom – $861,229 ($1,883,514 total) {week 6}
23. Gosford Park – $241,219 ($370,442 total) {week 1}
24. Black Hawn Down – $179,823 ($179,823 total) {week 1}
29. Monser’s Ball – $110,552 ($153,995 total) {week 1}
34. The Man Who Wasn’t There – $92,882 ($6,814,397 total) {week 9}
40. Mulholland Drive – $64,285 ($5,576,008 total) {week 12}
42. No Man’s Land – $55,133 ($206,045 total) {week 4}
47. I Am Sam – $41,779 ($41,779 total) {week 1}
57. Moulin Rouge! – $18,963 ($57,037,125 total) {week 33}

Oscar Details:

• Ali: Actor (Will Smith), Supporting Actor (Jon Voight)
• Amelie: Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound, Foreign Language Film
• A Beautiful Mind: Picture [O], Director [O], Actor (Russell Crowe), Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly) [O], Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score, Editing, Makeup
• Black Hawn Down: Director, Editing [O], Cinematography, Sound [O]
• Gosford Park: Picture, Director, Supporting Actress (Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith), Original Screenplay [O], Art Direction, Costume Design
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: Original Score, Art Direction, Costume Design
• I Am Sam: Actor (Sean Penn)
• In the Bedroom: Picture, Actor (Tom Wilkinson), Actress (Sissy Spacek), Supporting Actress (Marisa Tomei), Adapted Screenplay
• Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius: Animated Feature
• The Man Who Wasn’t There: Cinematography
• Monser’s Ball: Actress (Halle Berry) [O], Original Screenplay
• 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
• No Man’s Land: Foreign Language Film
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Ian McKellen), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score [O], Original Song (“May It Be”), Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup [O], Sound, Visual Effects [O]

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Dec. 27-29, 1996

Weekend Box Office:

2. Jerry Maguire – $14,024,111 ($60,351,092 total) {week 3}
6. One Fine Day – $8,027,257 ($19,435,044 total) {week 2}
14. The English Patient – $2,659,575 ($22,758,252 total) {week 7}
15. Star Trek: First Contact – $2,570,680 ($85,122,152 total) {week 6}
18. The Crucible – $803,471 ($2,340,466 total) {week 5}
999. The People vs. Larry Flynt – $523,295 ($523,295 total) {week 1}
999. Ghosts of Mississippi – $212,246 ($540,332 total) {week 2}
999. Evita – $195,085 ($334,440 total) {week 1}
999. The Portrait of a Lady – $107,819 ($134,805 total) {week 1}
999. Hamlet – $90,684 ($147,321 total) {week 1}
999. Marvin’s Room – $46,392 ($169,757 total) {week 2}
999. Independence Day – $6,610 ($306,153,456 total) {week 26}

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]
• Evita: Original Song (“You Must Love Me”) [O], Editing, Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound
• Ghosts of Mississippi: Supporting Actor (James Woods), Makeup
• Hamlet: Adapted Screenplay, Drama Score, Art Direction, Costume Design
• Independence Day: Sound, Visual Effects [O]
• Jerry Maguire: Picture, Actor (Tom Cruise), Supporting Actor (Cuba Gooding Jr.) [O], Original Screenplay, Film Editing
• Marvin’s Room: Actress (Diane Keaton)
• One Fine Day: Original Song (“For the First Time”)
• The People vs. Larry Flynt: Director, Actor (Woody Harrelson)
• The Portrait of a Lady: Supporting Actress (Barbara Hershey), Costume Design
• Star Trek: First Contact: Makeup

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Dec. 27-29, 1991

Weekend Box Office:

1. Hook – $15,218,400 ($57,312,855 total) {week 3}
2. Beauty and the Beast – $10,670,669 ($63,690,996 total) {week 7}
4. The Prince of Tides – $10,035,412 ($10,035,412 total) {week 1}
6. JFK – $7,445,904 ($17,628,624 total) {week 2}
7. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country – $6,824,899 ($50,445,760 total) {week 4}
8. The Addams Family – $6,201,491 ($88,784,161 total) {week 6}
9. Bugsy – $5,738,572 ($14,781,591 total) {week 3}
11. Cape Fear – $3,602,805 ($59,227,867 total) {week 7}
999. Fried Green Tomatoes – $105,317 ($105,317 total) {week 1}
999. Grand Canyon – $67,546 ($67,546 total) {week 1}

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
• Bugsy: Picture, Director, Actor (Warren Beatty), Supporting Actor (Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley), Original Screenplay, Original Score, Cinematography, Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O]
• Cape Fear: Actor (Robert De Niro), Supporting Actress (Juliette Lewis)
• Fried Green Tomatoes: Supporting Actress (Jessica Tandy), Adapted Screenplay
• Grand Canyon: Original Screenplay
• Hook: Original Song (“When You’re Alone”), Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup, Visual Effects
• JFK: Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Editing [O], Cinematography [O], Sound
• The Prince of Tides: Picture, Actor (Nick Nolte), Supporting Actress (Kate Nelligan), Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Cinematography, Art Direction
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: Original Score, Cinematography, Sound, Sound Effects Editing

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Dec. 26-28, 1986

Weekend Box Office:

2. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – $9,157,161 ($67,931,249 total) {week 5}
3. Crocodile Dundee – $5,860,797 ($114,343,128 total) {week 14}
6. Heartbreak Ridge – $5,046,431 ($28,241,275 total) {week 4}
9. An American Tail – $3,008,200 ($31,161,522 total) {week 6}
999. Platoon – $352,464 ($801,150 total) {week 2}

Oscar Details:

• An American Tail: Original Song (“Somewhere Out There”)
• Crocodile Dundee: Original Screenplay
• Heartbreak Ridge: Sound
• Platoon: Picture [O], Director [O], Supporting Actor (Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe), Original Screenplay, Editing [O], Cinematography, Sound [O]
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home: Original Score, Cinematography, Sound, Sound Effects Editing