Universal and Sony hope to push their contenders past $100 million mark while NEON expands the Korean nominee this weekend
Several films in this year’s Best Picture Oscar race have already finished their theatrical runs, but three contenders could get a box office boost from Monday’s nominations. Those films are Neon’s “Parasite,” Sony’s “Little Women,” and the film that just earned a No. 1 wide opening, Universal’s “1917.”
Of those three films, “1917” has the biggest potential to capitalize on its 10 nominations. Sam Mendes’ World War I action film opened domestically to $36.5 million this past weekend, with $60 million grossed worldwide. Universal is following in the path of films like “American Sniper” and “La La Land,” releasing a critically acclaimed film late in the calendar and using the ensuing word of mouth from limited release and Golden Globe success to build into a strong wide theatrical run in January.
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Also Read: 'Joker' Leads With 11 Oscar Nominations, Followed by 'Irishman,' '1917' and 'Once Upon a Time'
“It’s a strategy that really allows films to build interest in December without competing directly against the holiday blockbusters,” Universal Domestic Distribution President Jim Orr told TheWrap. “And that’s especially the case when you have a quality film like the one we did. We’re so amazed with the work Sam Mendes and his team did and we’re thankful for our partners at Amblin and DreamWorks that helped us make this film happen.”
When the Academy announced that it would move up the airdate for the Oscars to Feb. 9, the Sunday after the Super Bowl, there was some concern that it would decrease the amount of time that late releases like “1917” would have to capitalize off its Oscar nominee status. But Orr feels that the opposite effect may be seen.
“I think that this just makes it more of a must-see film. It decreases the chance of people losing interest by the time the Oscars air and makes it more likely that people make an effort to see it as soon as possible,” he said.
Also Read: Oscar Nominations 2020: The Complete List
Also potentially increasing the film’s upside is its generally even performance across age demographics. While the 25-34 group was the leading demo with 29%, 18-24 and 55+ moviegoers were evenly represented at 18% each. This could help spread word of mouth across a wider range of potential moviegoers and keep the audience pool large through the rest of the month.
Meanwhile, “Little Women” will aim to return to the top five on the box office charts next weekend after dropping to No. 6 with $7.6 million in its third weekend. So far, the Greta Gerwig adaptation of the classic 19th century novel has grossed $74 million domestic and $107 million worldwide.
“Little Women” will certainly be one of the most talked about contenders on Monday, both for its Best Picture nomination and a Best Director snub for Greta Gerwig that has left that category with an all-male field. As expected, the audience for the Sony/Columbia release has skewed female, but has also yielded repeat viewings from fans of both Gerwig and members of the film’s loaded cast like Saoirse Ronan and Meryl Streep.
Also Read: Why the Oscars Could Be Walking Into a Diversity Minefield This Season
A high profile snub can be just as much a box office magnet for a film as a nomination, and while Gerwig has been nominated for her screenplay, her absence from the Best Director list will center “Little Women” around the renewed conversation about female directors’ struggle in Hollywood over the next few weeks. In 2015, “Selma” got a big box office boost in January after its snubs in several categories kickstarted #OscarsSoWhite, and a similar trend might occur with “Little Women,” especially if it prompts some male moviegoers who have ignored the film until now to buy a ticket.
Finally, Neon will bring “Parasite” back to more theaters to take advantage of its six nominations, the first ever Best Picture nomination for a Korean film. Released in the U.S. way back in mid-October, “Parasite” has grossed $25 million in the U.S., standing among the likes of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Life Is Beautiful” as one of the top 10 highest grossing foreign, non-English imports in domestic box office history.
Currently screening on 345 theaters, Neon plans to expand the film in the hopes that Oscar completionists and interested moviegoers who have put off seeing Bong Joon-ho’s thriller will have their curiosity renewed by the Oscar announcement. The film is approximately $8 million away from taking the No. 5 spot on the domestic foreign language box office list, currently held by 2001 Oscar nominee “Amelie” with $33 million.
Oscars 2020: See the Nominees in All 24 Categories (Photos)
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Nine films are nominated for Best Picture at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards. This year’s Oscars ceremony, which takes place the earliest ever in awards season, will take place on Feb. 9. And for the second year in a row, this year’s ceremony will have no host. Check out the full list of nominees in all 24 categories.
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Neon
BEST PICTURE
“Ford v Ferrari,”
“The Irishman,”
“Jojo Rabbit,”
“Joker,”
“Little Women,”
“Marriage Story,”
“1917,”
“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,”
“Parasite” (Pictured)
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Netflix
BEST DIRECTOR
Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite,”
Todd Phillips, “Joker,”
Sam Mendes, “1917,”
Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman” (Pictured),
Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”
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Warner Bros.
BEST ACTOR
Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory,”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,”
Adam Driver, “Marriage Story,”
Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker,” (Pictured)
Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”
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Roadside Attractions/LD Entertainment
BEST ACTRESS
Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet,”
Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story,”
Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women,”
Charlize Theron, “Bombshell,”
Renée Zellweger, “Judy” (pictured)
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Sony Pictures
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”
Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”
Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” (pictured)
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STXfilms
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell” (pictured),
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story,”
Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit,”
Florence Pugh, “Little Women,”
Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”
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Netflix
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Knives Out,”
“Marriage Story” (pictured),
“1917,”
“Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood,”
“Parasite”
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Peter Mountain/Netflix
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“The Irishman,”
“Jojo Rabbit,”
“Joker,”
“Little Women,”
“The Two Popes” (pictured)
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A24/Photo by Eric Chakeen
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“The Irishman,”
“Joker,”
“The Lighthouse” (pictured),
“1917,”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
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Netflix
BEST FILM EDITING
“Ford v Ferrari,”
“The Irishman,”
“Jojo Rabbit,”
“Joker,”
“Parasite”
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Sony
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“The Irishman,”
“Jojo Rabbit,”
“Joker,”
“Little Women” (pictured),
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
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Lionsgate
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
“Bombshell” (pictured)
“Joker,”
“Judy,”
“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil,”
“1917”
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Fox Searchlight
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“Joker,”
“Little Women” (pictured),
“Marriage Story,”
“1917,”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
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Disney
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from “Toy Story 4,"
“Into the Unknown” from “Frozen II” (pictured),
“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from “Rocketman,”
“I’m Standing With You,” “Breakthrough,”
“Stand Up” from “Harriet”
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Universal
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“The Irishman,”
“Jojo Rabbit,”
“1917” (pictured, Dennis Gassner),
“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,”
“Parasite”
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Walt Disney Studios
BEST SOUND EDITING
“Ford v Ferrari,”
“Joker,”
“1917,”
“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (pictured)
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20th Century Fox
BEST SOUND MIXING
“Ad Astra” (pictured)
“Ford v Ferrari,”
“Joker,”
“1917,”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
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Disney
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Avengers: Endgame,”
“The Irishman,”
“The Lion King” (pictured),
“1917,”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
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Sony Pictures Classics
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
“Corpus Christi,” Poland
“Honeyland,” North Macedonia
“Les Misérables,” France
“Pain and Glory,” Spain (pictured)
“Parasite,” South Korea
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Disney-Pixar
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,”
“I Lost My Body,”
“Klaus,”
“Missing Link,”
“Toy Story 4” (pictured)
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Pixar
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
“Dcera (Daughter),”
“Hair Love,”
“Kitbull” (pictured)
“Memorable”
“Sister”
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Nat Geo
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“American Factory,”
“The Cave” (pictured),
“The Edge of Democracy,”
“For Sama,”
“Honeyland”
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Netflix
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
“In the Absence,”
“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)” (pictured)
“Life Overtakes Me,”
“St. Louis Superman,”
“Walk Run Cha-Cha”
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Mubi
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
“Brotherhood,”
“Nefta Football Club” (pictured)
“The Neighbors’ Window,”
“Saria,”
“A Sister”
The 92nd Academy Awards take place on Feb. 9
Nine films are nominated for Best Picture at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards. This year’s Oscars ceremony, which takes place the earliest ever in awards season, will take place on Feb. 9. And for the second year in a row, this year’s ceremony will have no host. Check out the full list of nominees in all 24 categories.
Jeremy Fuster
Box Office Reporter • jeremy.fuster@thewrap.com • Twitter: @jeremyfuster