Data from over three decades of telecasts shows that, yes, big grosses matter to viewership and there’s a historical edge for more popular films among the Academy membership.
This could be ascribed to a number of factors, but it is quite plausible, based on this data, that viewers are more likely to tune in to the Oscars when movies they saw in theaters are nominated for the top prize.
The below chart shows the box office hauls of every best picture nominee since the 1986 ceremony, with the winning films in blue and the other nominees in yellow. On average, the blue dots — including notable best picture winners like— sit about $36 million above where the yellow dots land, suggesting at least some preference for more popular films among the Academy membership.
That said, this conclusion comes with a couple of important caveats. One is that the data is skewed by the presence of gargantuan grosser. Two is that this is only a preference for more popular films within the list of nominated films, and in recent years those nominees have diverged more and more from the list of box office successes.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Oscar’s Halo Effect On Best Picture Nominees Dims — Not Just At Box Office But On Streaming: A ScorecardEXCLUSIVE: Given how late the Oscars are this year on March 27, and how Covid held older adults back from attending cinemas, an Oscar halo effect was never expected to take place at the domestic bo…
Read more »
These Are Sandra Bullock’s 12 Biggest Box Office HitsMs. Bullock has, self-imposed sabbaticals notwithstanding, has been a reliable butts-in-seats movie star in a wide variety of genres for over 25 years.
Read more »
Box Office: Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum Power ‘The Lost City’ to $2.5 Million in PreviewsThe rom-com may be showing signs of life. After being written off as a theatrical proposition, Paramount’s “The Lost City” appears to be scoring with audiences. The film, which pu…
Read more »
Bringing the Realities of Ukraine to the Red Carpet on Oscar NightSigns of support for the Ukrainian people impacted by the Russian invasion will be shown at Sunday’s Oscars.
Read more »
What the Oscar Nominees Have Lined Up Next for Film and TV ProjectsOlivia Colman heads to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ariana DeBose will topline a spy thriller at Apple while Denzel Washington goes behind the camera as contenders plan their follow-up projects.
Read more »
Oscars Telecast Will Feature Free Live ASL Interpretation on The Academy’s YouTube ChannelJeanell English, VP of Impact and Operations for The Academy, on how consultants, stage design and accessibility tools helped make this year's Oscars more inclusive.
Read more »