Thankfully, moviegoers still care (to a point) about the Academy Awards. Universal decided to put Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” back in wide release thanks to the film’s 13 nominations. $1 million isn’t going to change the narrative too much, but it’s significant given that the movie is readily available on from the comfort of home VOD, streaming, and Blu-ray. The same can be said of “The Holdovers” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Even so, audiences decided it was worth heading to a theater to see these movies that have a shot at being crowned Best Picture.
“Poor Things” benefited the most in terms of raw dollars. The film added 890 screens and is now playing on 2,300 across the nation, meaning it’s now a true wide release. The Searchlight Pictures release has now amassed $51 million worldwide and figures to leg it out all the way through awards season. A24’s disturbing World War II film “The Zone of Interest” is currently in the process of expanding, landing on 317 screens over the weekend, an increase of 235 compared to the prior week. That Best Picture nomination figures to help this one a great deal as it continues to expand wide.
There’s also the interesting case of “Godzilla Minus One.” While the film only scored one nomination in the Best Visual Effects category, Toho’s take on the classic monster has been an unexpected runaway hit. Coinciding with the Oscar nominations, the studio released a black-and-white version of the film in theaters over the weekend, accounting for the bump. It has now made more than $100 million worldwide and stands as the third-biggest, non-English film ever in the U.S. Thankfully, these movies are here to help carry the load during a particularly dark time for theaters.
The 96th annual Academy Awards are set to air on Sunday, March 10, 2024, on ABC.