The most nominations, year by year
2005: “Brokeback Mountain”: 8. Best picture winner: ???
2004: “The Aviator”: 11. Winner: “Million Dollar Baby” (7 nominations).
2003: “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”: 11. Winner: “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”
2002: “Chicago”: 13. Winner: “Chicago.”
2001: “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”: 13. Winner: “A Beautiful Mind” (8 nominations).
2000: “Gladiator”: 12. Winner: “Gladiator.”
1999: “American Beauty”: 8. Winner: “American Beauty.”
1998: “Shakespeare in Love”: 13. Winner: “Shakespeare in Love.”
1997: “Titanic”: 14. Winner: “Titanic.”
1996: “The English Patient”: 12. Winner: “The English Patient.”
1995: “Braveheart”: 10. Winner: “Braveheart.”
Total box office (so far) of this year’s best picture nominees:
“Crash”: $55.4 million
“Brokeback Mountain”: $51 million
“Munich”: $40.6 million
“Good Night, and Good Luck.”: $25.1 million
“Capote”: $15.3 million
TOTAL: $187.4 million
Is this the lowest box office total of any best picture slate in recent memory? Let’s check:
Total box office of previous years’ five best picture contenders at the time the nominations were announced (in millions of dollars):
2004 (“Ray,” “The Aviator,” “Finding Neverland,” “Sideways,” “Million Dollar Baby”): $204
2003 (“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “Seabiscuit,” “Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World,” “Mystic River,” “Lost in Translation”): $636.7
2002 (“The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” “Gangs of New York,” “Chicago,” “The Hours,” “The Pianist”): $485.5
2001 (“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” “A Beautiful Mind,” “Moulin Rouge,” “Gosford Park,” “In the Bedroom”): $483.2
2000 (“Gladiator,” “Erin Brockovich,” “Traffic,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Chocolat”): $471
1999 (“The Sixth Sense,” “The Green Mile,” “American Beauty,” “The Cider House Rules,” “The Insider”): $528.1
1998 (“Saving Private Ryan,” “Shakespeare in Love,” “The Thin Red Line,” “Elizabeth,” “Life Is Beautiful”): $300.9
1997 (“Titanic,” “As Good As It Gets,” “Good Will Hunting,” “L.A. Confidential,” “The Full Monty”): $578.8
1996 (“Jerry Maguire,” “The English Patient,” “Fargo,” “Shine,” “Secrets and Lies”): $210.2
Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.
Number of animated feature film nominees that are computer-animated: 0
Number of animated feature film nominees that are traditional Hollywood hand-drawn: 0.
The three nominees include one (hand-drawn) Japanese anime feature (“Howl’s Moving Castle”) and two stop-action animated films (“Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride,” “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit”).
Most-nominated among this year’s nominees: George Clooney, 3 (best director, original screenplay, “Good Night, and Good Luck.”; best supporting actor, “Syriana”).
Most-nominated among this year’s nominees (ever): Woody Allen, whose original screenplay nod for “Match Point” is his 21st Oscar nomination.
Number of best actor nominees playing journalists: 2 (Philip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote in “Capote,” David Strathairn as Edward R. Murrow in “Good Night, and Good Luck”).
Number of best actor nominees playing musical performers: 2 (Terrence Howard as a pimp-turned-rapper in “Hustle & Flow,” Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line”).
Number of this year’s 20 acting contenders who are first-time nominees: 14.
