While the box office was largely taking it slow this weekend, it was an important one for several movies that earned Oscar nominations this past Tuesday, as they try to turn their contender status into renewed moviegoer interest.
Leading the way among the Best Picture nominees is Universal’s “Green Book,” which ranked sixth among all films after expanding to 2,430 screens in its 11th weekend. The Participant Media/DreamWorks production added $5.4 million this weekend, nearly matching its $5.5 million opening back in November. Going into the Oscar race with five nominations, “Green Book” now has a domestic total of $49 million against a $23 million production budget.
Fox Searchlight’s “The Favourite” — which is tied with “Roma” with a field-leading 10 nominations – also had a strong weekend, expanding to 1,540 screens and earning a solid $2.4 million.
After 10 weeks in theaters, “The Favourite” now has a total of $26 million. That is behind the pace set by Searchlight’s 2018 Oscar winners, as “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” grossed $29 million through 10 weeks, while Best Picture winner “The Shape of Water” grossed $44 million. But a lower total was expected, as “The Favourite” director Yorgos Lanthimos’ discomfiting style doesn’t lend itself to as wide an appeal as those films.
One film that did not see an Oscar bump is Annapurna’s “Vice,” which held its total from the previous weekend with a $1.75 million haul. Despite its eight nominations, “Vice” still has not made back its $60 million budget, only grossing $42 million so far.
Elsewhere, Fox’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which earned five nominations, added $2.4 million in its 13th weekend to bring its total to $205 million. Warner Bros.’ “A Star Is Born,” which earned seven noms, made $1.2 million from 1,192 screens for a $206 million total. Finally, Annapurna’s “If Beale Street Could Talk,” which earned three nominations but was snubbed Best Picture, made $1.26 million to bring its total to $12.7 million.