Of the six Best Picture nominees from the97th Academy Awardsthat are playing in theaters, one dark horse candidate has emerged victorious at the box office over Oscars weekend. The ceremony is set to air at 7:00 p.m. ET, at the tail end of the ninth weekend at the domestic box office. Of the 102025 Best Picture nominees,Anora,The Brutalist,A Complete Unknown,Conclave,I’m Still Here, andWickedare all running in theaters over the weekend, whileDune: Part Two,Emilia Pérez,Nickel Boys, andThe Substanceare not, having already concluded their runs.
PerThe Numbers, of those six titles, one has emerged as the clear victor. Although every movie but the Brazilian biographical dramaI’m Still Hereis playing in an expanded number of theaters to capitalize on their buzz,the Timothée Chalamet-led Bob Dylan biopicA Complete Unknownhas taken a clear leadwith a projected 3-day domestic total of $904,000 for the weekend, significantly ahead of the Best Picture frontrunnersAnora,The Brutalist, andConclave. The next highest-grossing nominee of the weekend,I’m Still Here, only earned $530,000. See the projected grosses for all six nominees over Oscars weekend:
$930,000
$530,000
$439,077
$260,000
$151,000
$150,000
What This Means For A Complete Unknown
Its Best Picture Chances Are Changing
Taking the lead over Oscars weekend is yet another feather in the cap for theA Complete Unknownrelease, as the movie has already grossed more than $100 million worldwide, making itthe third highest-grossing Best Picture nominee of the yearbehindDune: Part Two($714.6 million) andWicked($728.3 million). While box office success does not directly correlate with winning Oscars, widespread viewership and buzz can sometimes help fuel a Best Picture win, as was likely the case for movies such asTitanic,Oppenheimer, andThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
A Complete Unknownwas directed byWalk the Line’s James Mangold and also stars Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook, and Scoot McNairy.
So far, theBob Dylan biopichas not been a frontrunner, and in factGoldDerby’s odds show it as the fourth most-likely winner, tied withWickedat 9 to 1 odds. However, along with these box office results, its recent awards performancecould show that the race is being shaken up at the last minute. Chalamet just won Best Actor at the SAG Awards, supplanting Adrien Brody from the longtime frontrunnerThe Brutalistfor the first time at any major awards ceremony all season, potentially indicating that the tide of Best Picture has slowly been turning.
Our Take On The Oscar Weekend Box Office
It’s A Good Sign For A Complete Unknown
Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan recording a song in the studio in A Complete Unknown
Even ifA Complete Unknowndoes not ultimately win Best Picture at the97th Academy Awards, these box office results could bea good sign for its performance in the other seven categories in which it is nominated. These are Best Director, Best Actor (Timothée Chalamet), Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton), Best Supporting Actress (Monica Barbaro), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, and Best Costume Design. If general audiences are continuing to respond so well to the movie during its tenth weekend in theaters, the same could be true of the Academy.
