Box Office Check-In, Lincoln Takes the Lead of the Oscar Contenders

This past weekend Lincoln increased its theater count and as a result passed Argo to become 2012’s highest grossing of the Oscar contenders so far. Still to come, Les Miserables, Zero Dark Thirty and Django Unchained. The Hobbit broke box office records in its opening, and The Dark Knight Rises and The Avengers remain the year’s highest grossing films overall.

The big question with Django Unchained is whether the recent mass shootings will impact the box office at all, or if audiences will still have a taste for the bloodbath that is Django Unchained. Similarly, Zero Dark Thirty’s scenes of torture could prove off-putting to some, especially (apparently) women. But as of yet, no one knows anything. Good word of mouth and Oscar buzz for both films could drive them to strong box office returns.

The Dark Knight Rises – $448,139,099
Skyfall – $272,366,000
Lincoln – $107,898,000
Argo – $104,930,000
Flight – $89,448,000
Life of Pi –  $69,559,000
Looper -$66,300,000
Moonrise Kingdom – $45,512,466
Silver Linings Playbook – $16,954,000 (still in 371 theaters)
Beasts of the Southern Wild – $11,249,128