Every week, we’ll take a look back 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 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 Secret World of Arrietty (Wide)

Oscar Potential: Animated Feature.

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 16-18, 2007

Weekend Box Office:

2. Norbit – $16,775,831 ($58,858,009 total) {week 2}
11. Pan’s Labyrinth – $2,214,586 ($30,061,211 total) {week 8}
12. Dreamgirls – $1,591,017 ($99,634,994 total) {week 10}
15. The Queen – $1,315,201 ($51,056,208 total) {week 21}
16. Letters from Iwo Jima – $1,022,590 ($11,561,827 total) {week 9}
17. The Last King of Scotland – $884,895 ($12,756,249 total) {week 21}
18. Notes on a Scandal – $851,430 ($15,248,330 total) {week 8}
19. The Pursuit of Happyness – $733,389 ($161,989,809 total) {week 10}
21. Babel – $589,971 ($33,102,076 total) {week 17}
24. Blood Diamond – $385,811 ($55,778,161 total) {week 11}
25. Volver – $375,264 ($11,514,374 total) {week 16}
26. Venus – $374,272 ($2,358,046 total) {week 9}
27. Children of Men – $364,350 ($34,538,503 total) {week 8}
28. The Lives of Others – $350,878 ($661,685 total) {week 2}
29. The Departed – $347,060 ($131,438,233 total) {week 20}
33. Happy Feet – $289,956 ($193,800,551 total) {week 14}
43. Little Children – $143,490 ($4,920,405 total) {week 20}
44. The 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films – $105,709 ($105,709 total) {week 1}
47. Apocalypto – $75,207 ($50,758,790 total) {week 11}
50. Borat – $60,003 ($128,377,574 total) {week 16}
51. The Good Shepherd – $45,210 ($59,831,045 total) {week 9}
61. Little Miss Sunshine – $19,689 ($59,753,233 total) {week 30}
62. Days of Glory – $19,439 ($19,439 total) {week 9}
63. The Good German – $18,088 ($1,157,371 total) {week 10}
66. Iraq in Fragments – $11,144 ($110,572 total) {week 15}
67. The Curse of the Golden Flower – $10,589 ($6,509,826 total) {week 9}

Oscar Details:

• The 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films: Animated Short Film; Live Action Short Film
• 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
• Days of Glory: Foreign Language Film
• 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]
• Iraq in Fragments: 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]
• The Lives of Others: Foreign Language Film
• Norbit: Makeup
• 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 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 Feb. 15-17, 2002

Weekend Box Office:

6. A Beautiful Mind – $5,095,090 ($124,364,011 total) {week 9}
8. Black Hawn Down – $6,219,706 ($95,431,502 total) {week 8}
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – $4,701,851 ($277,635,371 total) {week 9}
14. I Am Sam – $3,646,808 ($29,282,085 total) {week 8}
16. Monster’s Ball – $2,725,306 ($7,559,592 total) {week 8}
17. In the Bedroom – $2,647,968 ($22,777,858 total) {week 13}
19. Gosford Park – $2,353,919 ($25,284,616 total) {week 8}
22. Amelie – $859,526 ($25,808,527 total) {week 16}
24. Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius – $389,734 ($79,161,474 total) {week 9}
27. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – $323,291 ($314,223,460 total) {week 14}
999. Mulholland Drive – $75,925 ($6,762,798 total) {week 19}

Oscar Details:

• 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 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]
• Monster’s Ball: Actress (Halle Berry) [O], Original Screenplay
• Mulholland Drive: Director

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 14-17, 1997

Weekend Box Office:

7. Jerry Maguire – $5,205,845 ($127,708,151 total) {week 10}
8. The English Patient – $4,585,551 ($47,738,423 total) {week 14}
9. Shine – $3,515,584 ($20,024,158 total) {week 13}
13. Evita – $2,524,722 ($44,436,127 total) {week 8}
23. Sling Blade – $559,532 ($1,115,712 total) {week 3}
24. Secrets & Lies – $550,999 ($8,147,277 total) {week 4}
26. Hamlet – $526,300 ($2,758,109 total) {week 8}
999. Fargo – $28,504 ($24,111,822 total) {week 10}

Oscar Details:

• 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
• Fargo: Picture, Director, Actress (Frances McDormand) [O], Supporting Actor (William H Macy), Original Screenplay [O], Editing, Cinematography
• Hamlet: Adapted Screenplay, Drama Score, Art Direction, Costume Design
• Jerry Maguire: Picture, Actor (Tom Cruise), Supporting Actor (Cuba Gooding Jr.) [O], Original Screenplay, Film Editing
• Secrets & Lies: Picture, Director, Actress (Brenda Blethyn), Supporting Actress (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), Original Screenplay
• Shine: Picture, Director, Actor (Geoffrey Rush) [O], Supporting Actor (Armin Mueller-Stahl), Original Screenplay, Original Dramatic Score, Editing
• Sling Blade: Actor (Billy Bob Thornton), Adapted Screenplay [O]

20 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 14-17, 1992

Weekend Box Office:

3. Fried Green Tomatoes – $7,058,930 ($34,263,454 total) {week 8}
9. Beauty and the Beast – $3,144,519 ($110,162,677 total) {week 14}
10. Grand Canyon – $2,354,398 ($27,001,352 total) {week 8}
11. JFK – $2,336,634 ($60,899,451 total) {week 9}
12. The Prince of Tides – $2,177,000 ($61,903,684 total) {week 8}
13. Hook – $2,032,340 ($112,382,158 total) {week 10}
14. The Addams Family – $1,539,520 (Unknown total) {week 10}

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
• 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

25 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 13-16, 1987

Weekend Box Office:

1. Platoon – $12,875,690 ($54,774,372 total) {week 9}
3. Mannequin – $6,001,208 ($6,001,208 total) {week 1}
6. Crocodile Dundee – $2,689,887 ($146,645,972 total) {week 21}
9. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – $1,388,476 ($103,522,511 total) {week 12}
10. Radio Days – $1,354,494 ($5,166,048 total) {week 3}
12. The Mission – $1,080,877 ($12,472,593 total) {week 16}
14. Children of a Lesser God – $859,590 ($23,030,044 total) {week 14}
999. A Room with a View – $331,001 ($11,840,149 total) {week 5}

Oscar Details:

• Children of a Lesser God: Picture, Actor (William Hurt), Actress (Marlee Matlin [O]), Supporting Actress (Piper Laurie), Adapted Screenplay
• Crocodile Dundee: Original Screenplay
• Mannequin: Original Song (“Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”)
• The Mission: Picture, Director, Original Score, Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Costume Design
• Platoon: Picture [O], Director [O], Supporting Actor (Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe), Original Screenplay, Editing [O], Cinematography, Sound [O]
• Radio Days: Original Screenplay, Art Direction
• A Room with a View: Picture, Director, Supporting Actor (Denholm Elliott), Supporting Actress (Maggie Smith), Adapted Screenplay [O], Cinematography, Art Direction [O], Costume Design [O]
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home: Original Score, Cinematography, Sound, Sound Effects Editing

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 12-15, 1982

Weekend Box Office:

1. On Golden Pond – $8,177,208 ($29,896,813 total) {week 11}
4. Chariots of Fire – $2,224,865 ($10,389,966 total) {week 13}
5. Reds – $1,929,964 ($30,184,831 total) {week 11}
6. Raiders of the Lost Ark – $1,640,574 ($189,468,297 total) {week 14}
7. Absence of Malice – $1,526,550 ($34,838,679 total) {week 13}
12. Arthur – $1,061,498 (Unknown total) {week 8}

Oscar Details:

• Absence of Malice: Actor (Paul Newman), Supporting Actress (Melinda Dillon), Original Screenplay
• Arthur: Actor (Dudley Moore), Supporting Actor (John Gielgud) [O], Original Screenplay, Original Song (“Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)”) [O]
• Chariots of Fire: Picture [O], Director, Supporting Actor (Ian Holm), Original Screenplay [O], Original Score [O], Editing, Costume Design [O]
• On Golden Pond: Picture, Director, Actor (Henry Fonda) [O], Actress (Katharine Hepburn) [O], Supporting Actress (Jane Fonda), Adapted Screenplay [O], Original Score, Editing, Cinematography, Sound
• Raiders of the Lost Ark: Picture, Director, Original Score, Editing [O], Cinematography, Art Direction [O], Sound [O], Sound Effects Editing [O], Visual Effects [O]
• Reds: Picture, Director [O], Actor (Warren Beatty), Actress (Diane Keaton), Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson), Supporting Actress (Maureen Stapleton) [O], Original Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography [O], Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound