Academy Award Nominations 2012

Academy Award Nominations 2012 - "The Artist" is loved in Hollywood. Now the black-and-white ode to silent films is ready to romance the rest of America. With 10 Academy Award nominations, "The Artist" is well positioned to seek an Oscar boost at the box office. More than any other major awards contender, it needs the help. While movies like "The Descendants" and "War Horse" have captured significant box office earnings, "The Artist" has earned only $12.1 million. But as the Weinstein Co. has already discovered since unveiling its $14-million production last Thanksgiving, selling the type of movie that hasn't rarely played in theaters since the 1920s is a painstaking business — despite universal critical acclaim. Although the picture has played very well at theaters in and around major cities — showing little sign of decline as word of mouth continues to bring in new fans — its expansion into smaller markets has been challenged. Last weekend, coming off its Golden Globe win for best picture comedy or musical, the Weinstein Co. expanded "Artist" to 662 theaters, up from 216, to mid-size markets like Green Bay, Wis.; Greenville, N.C.; and Omaha, Neb. But the results were discouraging, according to people with access to detailed box office data but not authorized to discuss them publicly. In the approximately 200 theaters where it was already playing, "The Artist" grossed an average of $5,829, up slightly from $5,524 the previous weekend. In about 450 new locations, it averaged $2,594. Among theaters with the lowest grosses — under $500 for the entire weekend — were ones in Frisco, Texas, and Sunrise, Fla. Academy Award Nominations 2012