Biography

Brandon Gray is the founder, president and publisher of Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com), an online movie publication and box office tracking service. His weekly analysis of box office results and the awards races will appear every Wednesday on The Envelope.

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Brandon Gray

Box Office Analysis

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The weak after

The weak after

March 14, 2006

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.

  • A not-so-grand finale

    March 8, 2006

    After watching attendance and box office numbers plunge in 2005, it seems fitting that the film industry would name "Crash" as the year's best picture.

  • Career builders?

    February 27, 2006

    For actors and actresses, an Oscar win is supposed to translate into a massive career boost, enhancing their awareness among moviegoers, increasing their salaries and, most importantly, allowing them the artistic and commercial pick of the litter for projects.

  • The $100 million question

    February 22, 2006

    For the first time since the "The English Patient" won an Oscar in 1997, there's a very real possibility that the winner of the Academy Awards' best picture honor might not top $100 million at the box office.

  • Cineplex slowdown

    February 14, 2006

    If you thought box office results were low for best picture contenders on the first weekend after nominations were announced, take a look at what happened in their second week basking in Oscar's glow.

  • Bump and grind

    February 6, 2006

    While snarky pundits and websites devote themselves to tracking the minutiae of the Oscars and other awards, the moviegoing public doesn't appear to put much stock in the Academy Awards anymore.

  • Slim and done

    February 2, 2006

    For the second year in a row, the academy has thumbed its collective nose at the movie-going public, nominating the least popular crop of best picture nominees on record.

  • The big bounce

    January 23, 2006

    "Brokeback Mountain" and "Walk the Line" posted some of the greatest post-Golden Globes gains on record last week as their respective distributors, Focus Features and 20th Century Fox, ratcheted up ad campaigns and bolstered the films' presence in theaters.

  • Golden spike?

    January 18, 2006

    Even with their best picture wins at the Golden Globes, it's unlikely "Brokeback Mountain" and "Walk the Line" will enjoy much in the way of victory laps at the box office this week.

  • Let it ride

    January 9, 2006

    "Brokeback Mountain" continued its unlikely run at the box office last weekend, widening its presence at theaters and strengthening its position as the picture to catch in the Academy Awards race.

  • Game on

    January 3, 2006

    As 2005 ended with the whimper of a giant ape and the roar of a crusading lion, a much more diminutive figure tried to make some noise of his own at the box office.

  • Where's the beef?

    December 27, 2005

    Oscar wannabes found themselves in a state of limbo over the long Christmas weekend, with some floundering, others faltering and no film staking out a strong position.

  • 'Kong' quest

    December 20, 2005

    "King Kong" arrived with great pomp and circumstance from the industry, the media and its studio last weekend, but it was far from the promised spectacle at the box office.

  • 'Mountain' high

    December 12, 2005

    Mainstream audiences have their "King Kongs" and "Narnias" this season, but the must-see event for the art house crowd is "Brokeback Mountain." Whether the picture will appeal as it rolls across the country and racks up awards, though, remains to be seen.

  • Coming up big

    December 6, 2005

    At the box office, the weekend following Thanksgiving is traditionally a time for limited releases to show they have what it takes to become awards contenders.

  • Early riser

    November 30, 2005

    "Syriana" played to packed houses this weekend, and distributor Warner Bros. crowed about the picture's $74,900 per-theater average.

  • Cashing in

    November 23, 2005

    "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" may have grabbed box office glory last weekend, conjuring $102.7 million at 3,858 theaters. But another newcomer, "Walk the Line," may have been the real winner.

  • Let's do the numbers

    November 15, 2005

    After a fairly quiet weekend both for Oscar contenders and general audience pictures, the industry now looks ahead to next weekend's opening of "Walk the Line" and the major awards magnets looming in December, headlined by "Memoirs of a Geisha," "Brokeback Mountain" and "Munich."

  • Taps for 'Jarhead'?

    November 9, 2005

    Universal Pictures' "Jarhead" stormed past industry expectations by nearly $10 million last weekend, as director Sam Mendes' warless war movie lugged $27.7 million from 2,411 locations. It also was No. 1 on Monday with nearly $2 million.

  • Down, but not out

    November 2, 2005

    Given the Academy's predilection for serious dramas and period pieces, with the occasional bone thrown to a quirky comedy or an undeniably populist picture, a handful of obvious best picture candidates have emerged by default in 2005.

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