Every year, the Academy Awards recognize the very best in cinematography and acting with their much-coveted Best Picture award. The films that take home the honor of being the best movie of the year are invariably box office hits, but not always. In fact, the Academy has nominated several films that have made relatively little money. Though they were assessed by the Academy and thought to be some of the best films of the year, the lowest-grossing Best Picture nominees in Oscar history demonstrate that box office success may not necessarily be indicative of cinematic greatness.
This article will take an in-depth look at the six lowest-grossing Best Picture nominees and explore why these films ultimately didn’t draw large enough audiences to make a significant dent in the box office. Moreover, by looking at each of these films, we can gain a better understanding of what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences looks for when handing out the prestigious Best Picture trophy.
The Flynn Effect
Most people are aware of the dramatic box office success of Gone with the Wind, but fewer know about the box office miracle of 1939’s now-forgotten Little Mr. Lincoln. When the film was originally released, it was a box office dud, with tepid ticket sales. But later that year, the movie was blessed with something of a miracle—the Danny Flynn phenomenon.
Danny Flynn was a fourteen-year-old boy who attended the release of Little Mr. Lincoln with a record player in tow. He then proceeded to play it throughout the movie, and the business Little Mr. Lincoln did that night was astronomical. From that point forward, ticket sales of the film picked up immensely, as theaters scrambled to get kids to come to the movies with their record players. It was a tactic that had devastating effects on the traditional theater-going experience, but it worked. Little Mr. Lincoln went on to become the highest-grossing Best Picture nominee that year, despite originally being a major flop.
Overview of Lowest-Grossing Best Picture Nominees
In total, there have been six movies that have been nominated for Best Picture but failed to make an impact with their box office take. They are as follows:
- The Old Man and the Sea (1958)
- Room at the Top (1959)
- The Color Purple (1985)
- Out of Africa (1985)
- Life is Beautiful (1998)
- Amour (2012
For the sake of this article, we will look at these six films in chronological order, beginning with The Old Man and the Sea.
The Old Man and the Sea (1958)
Based on the Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name, The Old Man and the Sea follows the story of an elderly Cuban fisherman as he struggles to make a living while under the oppressive gaze of an American-backed regime. Although the movie was critically acclaimed, it had a minuscule gross of just $609,489. It was the lowest-grossing Best Picture nominee ever, and it was also the first film to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar despite failing to make at least $1 million at the box office.
Though the movie ultimately failed to make an impact with cinema-goers at the time, The Old Man and the Sea’s impressive award nominations demonstrate that the Academy was looking for more than just financial success in its nominees. In fact, The Old Man and the Sea was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture. It won three, including a Best Actor nod for local Cuban actor Spencer Tracy.
Room at the Top (1959)
The Academy’s fascination with movies that weren’t box office successes reached its peak the very next year with Room at the Top. Although it was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, the movie only made $867,061 at the box office. It did, however, win two Oscars: Best Actress for Simone Signoret and Best Cinematography.
Room at the Top has become something of a cult classic and is widely regarded as one of the greatest British films of all time. Set against a backdrop of post-World War II England, the film follows a working-class man as he climbs the social ladder, while dealing with class-based prejudice and his own inner demons. Even though the movie didn’t make a significant amount of money at the box office, it was a critical success that proved that the Academy is open to rewarding films that showcase artistic and social achievement over big money.
The Color Purple (1985)
The Color Purple was an absolutely revolutionary movie. Directed by the legendary Steven Spielberg and starring the equally legendary Whoopi Goldberg, the movie has become a beloved classic among critics and filmgoers alike. It was a masterwork, to be sure, but unfortunately, it was a financial disaster. The movie only made $94,174,579 at the global box office. Despite this, the Academy still showed its respect for the film, and it received eleven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
The Academy’s recognition of The Color Purple speaks to an important point about the Academy Awards—namely, that the Academy is open to rewarding artists, directors, and performers for creating something truly special and unique, even if the film doesn’t make money. There have been a handful of other low-grossing Oscar nominees over the years, but perhaps none as iconic and beloved as The Color Purple.
Out of Africa (1985)
The 1985 Oscars was an interesting year for low-grossing Best Picture nominees. Not only did The Color Purple make the list, but so did the critically acclaimed Out of Africa. Although the movie was a financial failure, with only $87,403,961 in domestic box office, it nonetheless made its way to the Oscars and was nominated for seven awards, including Best Picture. It won four, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Out of Africa was the product of two excellent minds—the formidable Meryl Streep and the legendary Robert Redford—and it tells the story of an illicit love affair set against a backdrop of colonial Africa. Even though audiences of 1985 didn’t connect with the movie enough to make it a box office success, it has since gained a cult following and is often hailed as a timeless classic.
Life is Beautiful (1998)
Ostensibly a comedy, Life is Beautiful was a smart, gut-wrenching look at the holocaust, directed by Roberto Benigni and starring the director himself in the lead role. Despite its thoughtful portrayal of one of the darkest periods in human history, the movie only made $57,534,998 at the global box office. But that wasn’t enough to keep it out of the hands of the Academy, and it earned itself seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. It won three Oscars, including Best Acting and Best Foreign Film.
It is worth noting that Life is Beautiful’s Best Picture nomination was something of a surprise. Although the movie was critically acclaimed, its box office performance was underwhelming. It demonstrates that the Academy is willing to reward both cinematic success and commercial success, but there are times when they are willing to recognize something special, even if the movie is a box office flop.
Amour (2012)
Amour was director Michael Haneke’s harrowing look at a failing marriage. The movie is a devastatingly intimate drama, and it has earned Haneke several awards, including the Palme d’Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Its box office performance was weak, with only $20,094,145 worldwide, but that didn’t stop it from competing for the Best Picture award at the Oscars. It was nominated for five awards, including Best Picture, and it won one—Best Foreign Film.
The nomination of Amour at the Oscars speaks to the Academy’s willingness to recognize the importance of stories from outside of the mainstream. The film’s nomination was a bold statement, and it’s no wonder that it earned the adoration of critics and audiences alike. Even though it didn’t make much money, Amour’s Oscar nomination will forever be seen as a major victory for both independent cinema and international cinema.
The six lowest-grossing Best Picture nominees are an interesting bunch, to be sure. They are the products of a unique Academy that is willing to look past box office numbers in its search for excellent film-making. Some of these movies were destined to fail at the box office, while others simply didn’t get the hype they deserved. But all of them performed admirably at the Oscars and will forever be remembered as some of the best films of their respective years.
Finally, these lower-grossing Best Picture nominees demonstrate that it’s not only money that makes a great movie. Innovation, creativity, and artistry are all critically important, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is well aware of this. For that reason, these low-grossing Best Picture nominees will remain part of cinematic history for many years to come.
