The 2024 Oscars are just weeks away. And cinema connoisseurs are running out of time to catch up on all the nominees! This year, the Best Picture nominees are as dynamic as they come. From streaming platform’s offspring to international films and domestic blockbusters, the list is compiled with all kinds of cinematic gems. Sure, there are certainly frontrunners who appear to have an edge over the others, but the Oscars have a history of catching everyone off guard, not just with its snubs, but also its winners.

So before the jury declares the best of the best for the 96th Academy Awards, here is the lineup of contenders sorted by their box office achievements!

Maestro

Maestro is said to have had a budget of around $80 million. Despite Netflix’s secretive approach to box office numbers, according to IndieWire, the film is rumored to have earned approximately $200,000 from eight theaters during its opening weekend and a total of $300,000 over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday.

This debut marked a milestone for the streaming giant, making it their most successful launch since at least 2019.

The Zone of Interest

The Zone of Interest, based on Martin Amis’ novel, took the audience into the lives of Auschwitz commander Rudolf Höss and his wife Hedwig.  The movie kicked off with a solid $124,000 from four theaters in its first weekend.

Following its five Oscar nominations, however, it expanded to 333 theaters in week seven, seeing a huge 141% boost in earnings from the previous week. This further added $1.08 million to the business, totaling $3 million for The Zone of Interest.

Past Lives

People did not have much expectation from Past Lives in terms of making box-office numbers. However, slowly and quietly, the film by Korean-Canadian dramatist and director Celine Song made its understated impact. The domestic box office rankings on the first weekend saw Past Lives making a surprising entrance at No. 10.

From just four theaters, the film garnered $232,266 in its opening weekend, averaging $55,066 per location. By week six, its total earnings reached $8.4 million.

American Fiction

Throughout its runtime, American Fiction treated viewers to a range of sharp, brilliant, and humorously biting moments, deftly intertwined with a heartwarming family narrative. Upon receiving five nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, it kicked off its theatrical run with a strong showing. The movie pulled in $229,000 from seven theaters in its opening weekend.

As time went on, its domestic earnings soared to $19.3 million, with an extra $1.4 million added from international markets. Adding it all, the movie’s overall box office number became a total of $20.7 million.

Anatomy of a Fall

Anatomy of a Fall has tallied $4.7 million in the United States and Canada, along with $24.9 million from other territories. This made its worldwide haul a whopping $29.6 million. Its international box office performance currently stands at $22 million. And, in France, it has pulled in $10 million from 1.3 million sold tickets since its August 23rd release.

Anatomy of a Fall has also outperformed The Taste of Things, France’s official Oscar entry, which sold 151,000 tickets in its first two weeks.

The Holdovers

The Holdovers is a comedy-drama film, directed by the academy-favorite director Alexander Payne. The movie grossed $211,093 from six theaters in its opening weekend and made a business of just $20 million in the United States. The Holdovers, overall, made a collection of $37.9 million. 

The movie was nominated in five categories at the 96th Academy Awards. It followed the story of a curmudgeonly instructor, played by Paul Giamatti at a New England prep school who was tasked with supervising a few students with nowhere to go for Christmas break.

Poor Things

Poor Things has smashed through the coveted $100 million milestone worldwide and became the highest-grossing film in Yorgos Lanthimos’ career. With 11 Oscar nominations under its belt, the film’s success only continued to soar. In its eighth week of release, Poor Things expanded from 900 theaters to 2,300, earning a substantial $3.08 million.

This was a 43% increase from the previous weekend. Currently, its box office earnings stand at approximately $32 million domestically and $67 million internationally.

Killers of the Flower Moon 

Despite its hefty $200 million production cost, Killers of the Flower Moon film failed to do much at the box office. However, its fortunes shifted after earning 10 Oscar nominations. In its 15th week of release, the film expanded from 16 theaters to 941.

This gave it a 3,811% surge in revenue from the previous weekend. To round it off, Killers of the Flower Moon has raked in $67.8 million domestically and $89 million internationally, bringing its worldwide earnings to $156.8 million.

Oppenheimer

The movie that gave tough competition to Barbie at the time of its release was Oppenheimer, who is also the frontrunner at the 96th Oscars. Oppenheimer has brought home a hefty $329 million in the United States and Canada, not to mention the $631.3 million from other territories. This made its worldwide earnings a jaw-dropping $960.2 million.

This film broke several records and made its place in the big leagues. It became the second-highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, right behind Joker. It also became the most financially successful biographical film ever, leaving Bohemian Rhapsody in the dust.

Barbie

In 2023, Barbie dominated the box office as one of the highest-grossing films of 2023, catapulting Greta Gerwig into the billionaire filmmaker’s club. The movie earned a whopping $636.2 million in the United States and Canada, with an additional $809.4 million from other territories.

All this resulted in a grand total of $1.446 billion worldwide. Barbie became the biggest box office hit by a solo female director and also broke the record of Jia Ling for Hi, Mom.

What do you think about the box office earnings of these Oscar-nominated movies? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!