'Black Panther,' first superhero film in Best Picture Oscar race, up against other box office hits 'A Star Is Born,' 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
When Oscar nominations were announced, there's a chance you recognized a few more names than usual. Big hits like Black Panther, A Star is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody have been picking up recognition and major Oscars buzz, and now it's paid off.
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Will a box office hit go home with the top prize? Here are the 2018 hits that are vying for gold, as well as a look at how Best Picture winners have fared at the box office in the past.
The following films earned at least $100 million at the box office so far and are among the Best Picture nominees.
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Black Panther
Domestic box office: $700 million (the top film of 2018 and third highest gross of all-time)
Best Picture odds: Will Black Panther smash Oscars records the way it smashed the box office? The Marvel megahit was among the top film winners at the Critics' Choice Awards and picked up the top honor at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Riding critical acclaim since its release nearly a year ago, Black Panther was the first superhero film ever nominated in the Best Picture category. Though its nomination was hardly a surprise, there are five films with better odds to win, according to Gold Derby.
Other nominations: Best Original Song ("All the Stars"), Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design
A Star Is Born
Domestic box office: $206 million
Best Picture odds: There is hardly a consensus among experts, but many are saying the former frontrunner's chances have fallen in recent weeks. Gaga tied for Best Actress at the Critics' Choice, though the film did not win Best Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes, as many predicted it would. Another blow to its buzz: Bradley Cooper did not get an Oscar nomination for directing, as was expected. A Star is Born was also shut out at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, despite having four nominations.
Other nominations: Best Actress (Lady Gaga), Best Actor (Bradley Cooper), Best Supporting Actor (Sam Elliott), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song ("Shallow"), Best Cinematography, Sound Mixing
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Bohemian Rhapsody
Dometic box office: $205 million
Best Picture odds: After a surprise Best Picture - Drama win at the Golden Globes, Bohemian Rhapsody snuck into the Best Picture race. Actor Rami Malek, too, has been picking up key wins. The Queen biopic is certainly not expected to win Best Picture, but this film has hardly stuck to awards-watchers' expectations.
Other nominations: Best Actor (Rami Malek), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing
How often do films that perform well at the box office also get named the Best Picture of the year? Among the top 100 films of all-time adjusted for inflation, (as determined by Box Office Mojo), just 17 won Best Picture. Of that list, only one comes from this century.
Here's a snapshot of those Best Picture hits:
Gone with the Wind
Year released: 1939
Total domestic gross: $198 million
No, that number is not adjusted for inflation. The epically long romance film starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh brought audiences back to the theater again and again. Not only did it win top honors at the Oscars, when the numbers are adjusted for inflation, the 80-year-old Gone with the Wind has held on as the most successful movie of all time.
Ben-Hur
Year released: 1959
Total domestic gross: $74 million
Speaking of historical dramas that made history at the Oscars, Ben-Hur was wildly successful by the standards of the 1950s. It also won 11 Oscars, and at the box office it is among the top 15 films of all-time when adjusted for inflation.
The Sound of Music
Year released: 1965
Total domestic gross: $159 million
The 1960s were a decade of popular musicals getting recognition, with West Side Story taking home an outstanding 10 awards in 1961 and My Fair Lady taking home eight in 1964. Though The Sound Of Music won just five, it was the clear winner at the box office. The beloved Julie Andrews musical is the third most popular movie of all-time adjusted for inflation, surpassed only by Gone With the Wind and the original Star Wars (which did not win Best Picture).
The Godfather
Year released: 1972
Total domestic gross: $134 million
Not only was The Godfather a highly regarded success, it won Best Picture -- and so did its sequel two years later. The original has made many a "best films of all time" lists. In fact, it's at the second spot on the American Film Institute's list, surpassed only by Citizen Kane. The latter, however, did not win Best Picture and did not see nearly as much success at the box office.
Rocky
Year released: 1976
Total domestic gross: $117 million
The Italian Stallion can certainly hold his weight on any list of successful films. The original Rocky was a knock-out at the box office and took home three Oscars including Best Picture.
Forrest Gump
Year released: 1994
Total domestic gross: $330 million
Talk about a film that won over popular audiences and the Academy alike -- the Tom Hanks classic took home six awards, including Best Picture, and it has an audience rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes with more than 1 million people weighing in.
Titanic
Year released: 1997
Total domestic gross: $659 million
Perhaps the only love story that can contest with Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler is that of Jack and Rose. 1997 Best Picture winner Titanic is tied for the most awards of all time at the Oscars with 11. At the box office, the Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet flick has earned more total dollars than any other Best Picture winner to date.
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Year released: 2003
Total domestic gross: $377 million
Return of the King is one of just two sequels ever to win Best Picture (the other was The Godfather: Part II). The Lord of the Rings installment is also far-and-away the most successful Best Picture winner of the past two decades.
Note: Historical box office numbers reflect domestic gross, not adjusted for inflation, including re-releases.
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