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

None

5 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 23-25, 2007

Weekend Box Office:

5. Norbit – $9,825,021 ($74,763,394 total) {week 3}
15. Pan’s Labyrinth – $1,278,430 ($32,356,624 total) {week 9}
16. The Queen – $1,105,665 ($52,862,098 total) {week 22}
17. Dreamgirls – $835,251 ($101,233,784 total) {week 11}
18. The Last King of Scotland – $783,758 ($14,009,273 total) {week 22}
20. Letters from Iwo Jima – $707,311 ($12,834,854 total) {week 10}
21. Notes on a Scandal – $579,054 ($16,267,488 total) {week 9}
23. Babel – $443,475 ($33,806,170 total) {week 18}
24. The Lives of Others – $441,256 ($1,315,931 total) {week 3}
27. Volver – $309,509 ($12,018,524 total) {week 17}
28. Venus – $308,136 ($2,858,520 total) {week 10}
29. The Pursuit of Happyness – $275,325 ($162,586,036 total) {week 11}
30. Blood Diamond – $242,611 ($56,220,154 total) {week 12}
31. Happy Feet – $221,523 ($194,254,584 total) {week 15}
33. The Departed – $214,213 ($131,805,297 total) {week 21}
35. Children of Men – $198,660 ($34,905,193 total) {week 9}
46. Days of Glory – $69,093 ($101,288 total) {week 12}
47. The 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films – $69,055 ($240,110 total) {week 2}
48. Little Miss Sunshine – $65,468 ($59,831,476 total) {week 31}
49. Little Children – $64,275 ($5,071,224 total) {week 21}
54. Borat – $43,205 ($128,449,559 total) {week 17}
58. Apocalypto – $32,851 ($50,829,674 total) {week 12}
60. The Good Shepherd – $24,390 ($59,873,825 total) {week 10}
65. Iraq in Fragments – $15,764 ($131,627 total) {week 16}
74. The Curse of the Golden Flower – $8,891 ($6,526,337 total) {week 10}
75. The Good German – $8,585 ($1,177,826 total) {week 11}

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. 22-24, 2002

Weekend Box Office:

7. A Beautiful Mind – $5,306,985 ($132,688,491 total) {week 10}
11. Black Hawn Down – $3,603,377 ($101,310,344 total) {week 9}
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – $3,457,862 ($283,191,086 total) {week 10}
15. I Am Sam – $2,268,809 ($33,135,033 total) {week 9}
16. In the Bedroom – $2,250,243 ($26,150,628 total) {week 14}
17. Monster’s Ball – $2,097,738 ($10,761,306 total) {week 9}
18. Gosford Park – $2,014,025 ($28,423,398 total) {week 9}
23. Amelie – $747,646 ($26,994,595 total) {week 17}
27. Iris – $292,497 ($965,577 total) {week 11}
29. Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius – $261,270 ($79,771,578 total) {week 10}
30. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – $254,748 ($314,675,739 total) {week 15}
34. Monsters, Inc. – $147,102 ($252,177,407 total) {week 17}
47. Mulholland Drive – $61,830 ($6,866,428 total) {week 20}
49. No Man’s Land – $52,703 ($640,490 total) {week 12}
53. Moulin Rouge! – $28,811 ($57,218,358 total) {week 39}
56. The Man Who Wasn’t There – $23,547 ($7,494,849 total) {week 17}

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
• Iris:
• 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]
• The Man Who Wasn’t There:
• Monster’s Ball: Actress (Halle Berry) [O], Original Screenplay
• Monsters, Inc.:
• Moulin Rouge!:
• Mulholland Drive: Director
• No Man’s Land:

15 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 21-23, 1997

Weekend Box Office:

9. Jerry Maguire – $3,080,444 ($131,653,945 total) {week 11}
10. The English Patient – $2,823,228 ($51,532,324 total) {week 15}
11. Shine – $2,282,998 ($23,063,578 total) {week 14}
13. Evita – $1,228,586 ($46,266,762 total) {week 9}
17. Sling Blade – $752,148 ($2,020,421 total) {week 5}
20. Secrets & Lies – $610,507 ($8,930,000 total) {week 6}
26. Hamlet – $290,488 ($3,157,347 total) {week 9}

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
• 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. 21-23, 1992

Weekend Box Office:

3. Fried Green Tomatoes – $5,006,595 ($40,954,794 total) {week 9}
7. Beauty and the Beast – $2,430,432 ($113,340,569 total) {week 15}
11. The Prince of Tides – $1,776,590 ($64,269,134 total) {week 9}
12. JFK – $1,710,049 ($63,115,040 total) {week 10}
15. Grand Canyon – $1,232,923 ($28,664,600 total) {week 9}
16. Hook – $905,350 ($113,648,960 total) {week 11}

Oscar Details:

• 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. 20-22, 1987

Weekend Box Office:

1. Platoon – $8,216,207 ($65,873,971 total) {week 10}
2. Mannequin – $5,006,984 ($12,071,965 total) {week 2}
6. Crocodile Dundee – $2,115,716 ($149,363 total) {week 22}
8. Radio Days – $1,569,079 ($6,997,195 total) {week 4}
11. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – $962,654 ($104,745,563 total) {week 13}

Oscar Details:

• Crocodile Dundee: Original Screenplay
• Mannequin: Original Song (“Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”)
• Platoon: Picture [O], Director [O], Supporting Actor (Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe), Original Screenplay, Editing [O], Cinematography, Sound [O]
• Radio Days: Original Screenplay, Art Direction
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home: Original Score, Cinematography, Sound, Sound Effects Editing

30 Years Ago: The Weekend of Feb. 19-21, 1982

Weekend Box Office:

1. On Golden Pond – $6,526,822 ($39,430,714 total) {week 12}
4. Chariots of Fire – $1,689,149 ($12,570,598 total) {week 15}
6. Raiders of the Lost Ark – $1,442,813 ($191,231,287 total) {week 16}
7. Reds – $1,272,275 ($31,802,166 total) {week 12}
9. Arthur – $997,606 ($84,620,103 total) {week 10}
10. Absence of Malice – $893,845 ($36,138,745 total) {week 14}

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