The weak after

How big is the disconnect between the Oscars and moviegoers these days? Pretty substantial, judging by a look at box office returns from the first weekend after this year's Academy Awards.

So far, this year's best picture nominees have combined for $240.4 million at the box office, and there's little chance for a post-Oscars windfall.

That total is a mere 17% of the $1.41 billion made by the top five box office performers in 2005. By comparison, best picture nominees of the previous 10 years have averaged 46% against the annual box office top five.

Lionsgate rereleased best picture champ "Crash," the least-attended winner ever, in 175 theaters over the weekend. But the film, which has been available on home video since September, brought in just $342,709, or $1,958 per site.

"Walk the Line" generated about the same amount at the box office last weekend, even though it wasn't nominated for best picture and is also out on DVD.

In all, "Crash" has grossed $53.7 million theatrically, a solid number considering it was produced for just $6.5 million. But when stacked up against other best picture winners, the returns for "Crash" are dismal.

Because the Oscars rarely honor pictures that are no longer in theaters, there's not a lot to compare to "Crash's" post-win returns. The last time a May release won while it was already on DVD was "Gladiator" five years ago. That film made $456,732 at 577 theaters the weekend after the show, but it was long played out, having reached blockbuster levels early in its run.

In 1996, "Braveheart" did $587,103 at 483 theaters the weekend after the Oscars. Though it had been in and out of theaters since the previous May, it hadn't yet been released on home video.

The grosses for "Gladiator" and "Braveheart" improve greatly when ticket-price inflation is taken into account. And the less seen a picture is, like "Crash," the greater the bounce it's supposed to enjoy.

Not winning best picture took a toll on audience favorite "Brokeback Mountain," which might have been a contender for $100 million had it garnered the top prize. Not that the Academy Awards have that great an impact on the public, but a win would have kept "Brokeback" in theaters for a while and ramped up a new marketing campaign.

After losing the best picture race, Ang Lee's romantic drama dropped 52% to $1.2 million over the weekend, lifting its total to $81 million. It will soon out-gross "The Notebook," another recent romantic drama that resonated with the public but without any Oscar nominations, let alone wins.