Academy Award contenders “Brooklyn, ” “Spotlight” and “Room” look to add theaters — and revenue
The independent films “Brooklyn, ” “Spotlight” and “Room” stand to gain the most at the box office from their Best Picture Oscar nominations Thursday.
The two nominated films that have grossed the most so far, Fox’s “The Martian” and Warner Bros.’ “Mad Max: Fury Road, ” are out on DVD and mainly played out in theaters, though Fox said Thursday it was considering a second theatrical run for the Matt Damon space epic.
“The Revenant, ” which led the nominations, may have the most momentum of any film right now. “It’s not going to do what ‘American Sniper’ did last year, ” Exhibitor Relations media analyst Jeff Bock told TheWrap, “but between the big debut, Leo [DiCaprio] and Alejandro [Inarritu], ‘The Revenant’ is becoming a water-cooler film. It’s pretty arty to put up huge numbers with the mainstream, but we’ll see.”
Also Read: #OscarsSoWhite Again: Idris Elba, 'Straight Outta Compton' Snubs Spotlight Lack of Diversity
Paramount is biding its time with “The Big Short” and will drop the film’s screen count from more than 2, 500 to 1, 765 this weekend, its fourth in wide release. Look for a more aggressive push in the coming weeks. With $43 million banked already, “The Big Short” could hit $100 million if everything breaks right.
The same is true of “Bridge of Spies, ” which has grossed $70 million since opening in mid-October, though Disney was keeping its cards close to the vest on Thursday about widening the release.
Fox Searchlight is doubling the screen count on “Brooklyn” to 681 theaters this weekend, while Open Road will be aggressively expanding “Spotlight, ” from 368 to 973 locations.
A24 has plenty of room to grow with “Room, ” which has grossed just $5 million and never been in more than the 198 theaters it played in December. The movie’s star Brie Larson is a Best Actress finalist, and director Lenny Abrahamson was also a surprise choice, which should help it build some buzz.
Also Read: How Writers of 'Brooklyn, ' 'Suffragette' and 'The Danish Girl' Made Period Movies Feel Fresh
Acting nominees Eddie Redmayne and Cate Blanchett should give respective boosts to Focus Features’ “The Danish Girl” and the Weinstein Company’s “Carol.”
A surprise nomination for Charlotte Rampling has IFC Films scrambling to find a few more screens for “45 Years, ” which is in its third week of a limited release.
It will be in 15 theaters and then look to add about 60 more the next weekend, distribution chief Mark Boxer told TheWrap.
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SURPRISE: Tom Hardy, nominated Best Actor, “The Revenant”
Fox
Leonardo DiCaprio has dominated conversations surrounding the grueling shoot and high art of "The Revenant, " but Hardy suffered right alongside him - and was rewarded with a Best Supporting Actor nomination. -
SNUB: "Carol, " not nominated Best Picture
Todd Haynes' dreamy period piece fetched acting, score and cinematography nominations but was shut out of the Best Picture race.
TWC -
SURPRISE: "Ex Machina, " nominated, Best Visual Effects
Universal
Alex Garland’s dystopian love story drew a nomination for Best Visual Effects over Colin Trevorrow’s record-setting “Jurassic World, ” which is literally filled with screaming, stomping, fighting dinosaurs. -
SNUB: Ridley Scott, not nominated Best Director, "The Martian"
Fox
The exclusion of Ridley Scott from the Best Director category is enough to make you want to move to Mars. While the longtime movie maestro claimed a Golden Globe award, he was left off of the 2016 list entirely, presumably bumped by surprise nominee Lenny Abrahamson. - Warner Bros.
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SNUB: Idris Elba, not nominated Best Actor, “Beasts of No Nation”
Netflix
The excessively likable and highly pedigreed Elba could not earn a spot among the Best Actor crowd for “Beasts of No Nation” despite his edgy positioning with hot director Cary Fukunaga and streaming release platform Netflix. -
SURPRISE: Lenny Abrahamson, nominated Best Director, "Room"
TheWrap
Sure, the director’s “Room” is an emotional marathon and, frankly, a technical feat for creating a universe within those tiny walls - but it was surely a surprise to hear his name called for Best Director over Ridley Scott’s. -
SNUB: “See You Again, ” not nominated Best Original Song, "Furious 7"
Universal
Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “Furious 7” anthem served not only as a radio hit but also a tribute to the late Paul Walker. It was all but guaranteed that the creative eyebrows of Puth and NBA-level tattoos of Khalifa would suit up to claim a Best Original Song Oscar come February. Sorry boys, maybe we’ll see you again. -
Universal
SNUB: Amy Schumer, not nominated Best Original Screenplay, "Trainwreck"
America’s acidic sweetheart Schumer was a fledgling leading lady in Universal’s “Trainwreck, ” but had a serious shot at Best Original Screenplay for her comedy with Bill Hader and Brie Larson. -
SURPRISE: “Inside Out, ” nominated Best Original Screenplay
Disney
Any Pixar film is a presumed nominee if not winner, but it was unexpected to see the Amy Poehler-fronted film nominated for Best Original Screenplay. We imagine all the writers attached are feeling only Joy. -
Forget the Ed Harris makeup — Johnny Depp did an extraordinary job playing Whitey Bulger in Warner Bros. “Black Mass.” Many thought the A-lister would be among peers like Leonardo DiCaprio in the Best Actor category.
Warner Bros. -
SURPRISE: Charlotte Rampling, nominated Best Actress, "45 Years"
Artificial Eye
Charlotte Rampling was nominated for her role in "45 years" in the Best Actress category along with Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, Brie Larson and Saoirse Ronan. Rampling was a strong contender in October, but no one really talked about the film throughout the rest of award season. For example, she didn't receive a Golden Globe or SAG nomination. -
SNUB: Will Smith, not nominated Best Actor, "Concussion"
Sony/Columbia
He delivered a spectacular performance as Dr. Bennet Omalu in "Concussion, " but Will Smith didn't receive a nomination in the Best Actor category despite making everyone's radar following his Golden Globes nom. -
SURPRISE:
"The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared, " nominated Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling
For the Danish film to be nominated at all came as a complete surprise because most hadn't even heard of this film. Released in May in only 76 theaters, it grossed 4, 000 dollars. It took the place within the Makeup and Hairstyling category of films like "Cinderella, " "The Danish Girl, " "Ex Machina, " "Black Mass" and "Star Wars, " which all received Makeup Guild Awards nominations.
Music Box Films -
SNUBS: "Peanuts"/"Minions"/"Good Dinosaur, " not nominated Best Animated Feature
Universal/Fox/Pixar
Those three films were left out of the nominations for Best Animated Feature, replaced by surprises "Boy and the World" and "When Marnie Was There." "Minions" is an especially surprising omission because it made $336 million domestically and broke several box office records for Universal at the time. -
SNUB: Aaron Sorkin, not nominated Best Screenplay, "Steve Jobs"
Getty Images
Sorkin is known as one of the best living screenwriters, and his adaptation of Walter Isaacson's "Steve Jobs" was one of this year's most anticipated scripts. Sorkin also received praise for the unique structure he established for the film, receiving a Golden Globe award for Best Screenplay on Jan. 10. -
SNUB: Todd Haynes, not nominated Best Director, "Carol"
Getty Images
Many who saw the film "Carol, " starring lead and supporting actress nominees Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, praised it for how artfully it was put together. That makes Haynes' absence in the Best Director field perplexing. -
SNUB: Steven Spielberg, not nominated Best Director, "Bridge of Spies"
Getty Images
Spielberg directed "Bridge of Spies, " one of the most well-received films of the year, yet, the two-time Oscar winner was left out of the Best Director category by the Academy this year. -
SNUB: Tom Hanks, not nominated Best Actor, "Bridge of Spies"
Disney
The two-time Academy Award winner delivered another stellar performance in "Bridge of Spies, " but didn't receive a Best Actor nomination for the film, despite its six total noms. The film's supporting actor, Mark Rylance, was nominated for an Oscar this year.
