by Brandon Gray
This year's Best Picture nominees were the least-attended batch on record. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, Frost/Nixon and The Reader collectively tallied just $186.7 million prior to being revealed as the nominees. The previous attendance low was 2005's crop, led by Brokeback Mountain and Crash, and 2008 marks the fifth year in a row without a true blockbuster in the mix, the last one being The Lord
of the Rings: The Return of the King from 2003.
Over the weekend, Slumdog Millionaire led the Best Picture nominees after more than doubling its theater count. The drama garnered $10.7 million at 1,411 locations, jumping 83 percent. It had been building momentum long before the Oscar nominations, and, with $56.1 million in the till, it's now playing for $100 million. On the strength of Slumdog, 2008's Best Picture nominees as a whole should ultimately avoid the box office infamy of 2005, though they'll still be on the low end.
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This year's Best Picture nominees were the least-attended batch on record. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, Frost/Nixon and The Reader collectively tallied just $186.7 million prior to being revealed as the nominees. The previous attendance low was 2005's crop, led by Brokeback Mountain and Crash, and 2008 marks the fifth year in a row without a true blockbuster in the mix, the last one being The Lord
of the Rings: The Return of the King from 2003.Over the weekend, Slumdog Millionaire led the Best Picture nominees after more than doubling its theater count. The drama garnered $10.7 million at 1,411 locations, jumping 83 percent. It had been building momentum long before the Oscar nominations, and, with $56.1 million in the till, it's now playing for $100 million. On the strength of Slumdog, 2008's Best Picture nominees as a whole should ultimately avoid the box office infamy of 2005, though they'll still be on the low end.
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