Oscar nominations give box office boost to ‘Everything, Everywhere’ and ‘Women Talk’

After the Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday, contenders like “Everything and Everywhere at the Same Time,” “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Women Talking” welcomed an uptick in box office earnings.

This year, there is a broader mix of commercial and artistic offerings among the 10 films vying for Best Picture. On the populist side, there’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” ($2.117 billion worldwide), “Top Gun: Maverick” ($1.488 billion), and “Elvis” ($287 million). The indie front is headed by “Everything Everywhere at Once” ($104 million), “The Banshees of Inisherin” ($30 million), “Triangle of Sadness” ($22.5 million), and “The Fabelmans” ($22 million). ) followed by less-seen titles such as “Tár” ($7.4 million) and “Women Talking” ($2.3 million). “All Quiet on the Western Front” was released by Netflix, which does not report the total box office revenue.

Over the weekend, “Everything Everywhere at Once” enjoyed its biggest boost, bringing in $1 million as it returned to 1,400 theaters. Earning 11 leading nods, A24’s twisted sci-fi adventure reportedly sold out its showing in major markets, ranking 13th on the domestic box office charts. After 45 weeks in cinemas, Everything Everywhere grossed $71 million in North America, making it one of the biggest indie success stories of the pandemic era.

“Women Talking,” a drama directed by Sarah Polley about Mennonite women forced to confront the aftermath of sexual assault, is the recipient of the Academy Award honor best because it’s the least-watched of the best-nominated pictures. Over the weekend, “Women Talking” finished in 14th place with ticket sales of over $1.07 million from 707 theaters – a staggering 164% increase.

“Elvis” also benefited from a whopping 901% jump, though the big increase was mostly due to the film not playing in as many theaters the previous weekend. Baz Luhrmann’s glossy biographical drama starring Austin Butler as the King of Rock and Roll barely moved the needle in terms of attendance, bringing in $154,000 from 841 screens. “Elvis” first hit theaters this past June, and grossed a whopping $151 million domestically, so most interested viewers have probably already seen the movie by now.

Meanwhile, ticket sales for “The Banshees of Inisherin” were up 382% (bringing in $352,000 from 1,205 theaters), Tár ticket sales were up 138% (bringing in 173,000 from 537 theaters) and The Fabelmans expanded by 73%. % (brought $760,000 from 1962 theaters).

“Avatar: The Way of Water” is down 19% from last weekend, though the sequel still held the top spot at the box office (for its seventh consecutive weekend) with $15.7 million. However, its continued dominance — with $620 million domestically to date — has little to do with award season recognition.

“This is great news for theaters,” says Paul Dergarabedian, comScore’s chief analyst. “What’s even more surprising is that given the option to watch at home—some contenders have been available for weeks—audiences are choosing to experience the big screen.”

The love of the Oscars has not benefited every film in the award race. “To Leslie,” independent Best Actress nominee Andrea Riseborough, didn’t hit the top 20 as the surprise contender returned to theaters over the weekend. But that’s most likely because “To Leslie” was only available in 10 places, collecting just $2,634. Canadian distributor Momentum Pictures simultaneously released the film on video-on-demand platforms and on the big screen, with To Leslie grossing $27,000 in its very limited theatrical run.

On the morning of the Academy Award nominations, Riseborough said variety She hoped that Oscar’s attention would elevate the film’s relatively murky profile. “The really exciting thing is that far more people than we ever imagined will see To Leslie,” she said.

All together, this year’s Top 10 contenders in Picture brought in a total of $1.574 billion in domestic ticket sales at the time of the nominations. That’s the biggest tally since 2010, when the nominees — including the original “Avatar” — together took home $1.519 billion. For the producers of the Oscars, there is hope that audiences will be further incentivized to join a ceremony that honors films they have already seen in theaters.

“This year’s Oscar mix of blockbusters and indie contenders perfectly reflects the intent behind the switch to allow up to 10 Best Picture nominees in 2010,” says Dergarabedian. He states that since at least 2020, the pandemic has not been kind to the viewership awards. But this year, Dergarabedian adds, “the biggest winner may turn out to be ABC, whose ratings should increase dramatically.”