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Will ‘Shape of Water’ Get A Box Office Bump From Its Best Picture Win?

With $126.8 million, “Shape of Water” is the highest grossing Best Picture winner in four years

| March 5, 2018 @ 6:10 PM
Guuillermo del toro Shape of Water

Though the awards season box office hit a six-year low, Fox Searchlight’s “The Shape of Water” has remained a quietly consistent moneymaker since its December release. Now the film has walked away with four Oscars, including Best Picture, giving it a chance for one last burst of cash at movie theaters in the next couple weeks.

So far, “Shape of Water” has grossed $126.8 million worldwide, including $57.4 million domestically. While that only ranks 64th among all movies released last year, “Shape of Water” is the highest grossing Best Picture winner since 2014, when “12 Years A Slave” grossed $187.7 million globally.

From Dec. 1 to nomination day on Jan. 23, “Shape of Water” grossed $30 million from an audience that skewed younger. After nominations, while several other nominees saw their returns tail off, “Shape of Water” nearly matched its pre-nominations total with $27 million grossed from nomination day to Oscar Sunday.

This was thanks to an influx of older moviegoers intrigued by the film’s status as this year’s nominations leader with 13. According to data from movie analytics group Movio, the proportion of moviegoers over the age of 50 going to see “Shape of Water” increased by 23 percent after nomination day.

Also Read: 6 Years After 'Hunger Games,' Is Jennifer Lawrence Still a Box Office Draw?

Fox Searchlight tells TheWrap that they will expand the film’s screen count this coming weekend to at least 1,350 screens this weekend. It’s highest grossing frame came the weekend after nominations day, when it made just shy of $6 million from 1,850 screens. By that pace, analysts tell TheWrap they expect the film to make $4-5 million over this coming week, bringing its domestic total to around $62 million, with a finish over $65 million very likely.

“‘Shape of Water’ is also now out on digital release and will be on Blu-Ray next week, so we will see the film get a boost from both theatrical and home sales,” said comScore’s Paul Dergarabedian. “Some people will prefer to stream it at home, but like all of Guillermo Del Toro’s movies, this is one that really deserves to be seen in theaters, so that might have some appeal for those who haven’t seen it yet.”

Oscars 2018 After-Parties: Winners Frances McDormand, Jordan Peele and Kobe Bryant Celebrate (Photos)

  • Oscar After Parties 2018 - Rockwell, McDormand, Jordan Peele, Kobe Getty Images
  • Guillermo del Toro (R), winner of the Best Director and Best Picture awards for 'The Shape of Water,' and producer J. Miles Dale Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
  • Allison Janney Oscar Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
  • Frances McDormand (L) and Tiffany Haddish Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
  • Filmmaker Kobe Bryant (L), winner of the Best Animated Short Film award for 'Dear Basketball,' and actor Danny Glover Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
  • Academy Award Winner for Best Actor for "Darkest Hour", Gary Oldman, and Gisele Schmidt Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
  • Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos (L) and director Bryan Fogel, winner of the Best Documentary Feature award for 'Icarus,' Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
  • Rufus Wainwright, Lionel Richie, Sir Elton John, Miley Cyrus, and Ricky Martin attend Elton John AIDS Foundation 26th Annual Academy Awards Venturelli/Getty Images for Bulgari
  • Mia Swier(L) and Darren Criss John Sciulli/Getty Images for Perry Ellis
  • LS, CA - MARCH 04: Jamie Foxx and Byron Allen attend Byron Allen's Oscar Gala Viewing Party to Support The Children's Hospital Los Angeles at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel Jesse Grant/Getty Images)
  • Original Song for "Coco", Robert Lopez (L) and Kristen Anderson-Lopez Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
  • Rachel Shenton (R) and Chris Overton pose with awards for Best Live Action Short Film 'The Silent Child' Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
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To the parties go the victors. The Governors Ball, Elton John and Vanity Fair were a sea of gold on Sunday night.

Sam Rockwell, Frances McDormand, Jordan Peele and Kobe Bryant walked away from the Dolby with Oscars, ready to hit the after party circuit.  The Governors Ball, Elton John, and Vanity Fair events continued long after Jimmy Kimmel signed off for the night. 

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