It is customary for Best Picture Oscar nominees to witness a bump in box office collections during the awards season. But the acclaimed dramaNickel Boysis struggling to find an audience, despite earning a seat alongside massive hits such asDune: Part TwoandWicked.Nickel Boyswas nominated in the Best Picture category, but is still playing in only 270 domestic theaters. At its widest, the film’s theater count stood at 540. This doesn’t qualify as a wide release, and it’s entirely possible that the movie remains in limited theaters even after the Oscars. If it does, it’ll join the Brazilian filmI’m Still Hereas the only other Best Picture nominee to not get a wide release.
EvenI’m Still Herewill expand into 500 locations this week, and has grossed nearly $20 million worldwide. But despite hitting a new domestic milestone on Wednesday,Nickel Boysremains the lowest-grossing Best Picture nominee this year. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel byColson Whiteheadand directed byRaMell Ross,Nickel Boyshas grossed over $2 million domestically, against a reported budget of over $20 million. The movie follows two young men at a now-closed Florida reform facility, the Dozier School for Boys.Nickel Boysis presented from a first-person perspective, and has received acclaim for its performances and direction.
The movie premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, and spent three weeks playing in fewer than 20 nationwide locations before expanding into 26 theaters in week five of its run.It opened to excellent reviews, and appears to have settled at a “fresh” 90% approval rating on the aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes.In his review, Collider’sRoss Bonaimecalled it “one of the best films of the year,” and wrote that it is “a work of art that brilliantly adapts Whitehead’s book, while also finding his own ingenious way to film this story in doing so.”
‘Nickel Boys’ Is Competing Against Heavy-Hitters at the Oscars
At the Oscars,Nickel Boysis competing with the likes ofAnora,The Brutalist, andConclave, among others. Each of those films, includingSean Baker’s indie andBrady Corbet’s three-and-a-half-hour-long epic, have grossed more thanNickel Boys. The movie starsEthan HerisseandBrandon Wilson, alongside a supporting cast filled with seasoned performers such asDaveed Diggs,Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, andHamish Linklater.Nickel Boysis an Amazon MGM production, which means that it’ll truly find its audience when it debuts on streaming. Until then, you can seek it out in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Nickel Boys
Set in Jim Crow-era Florida, two Black teens, Elwood Curtis and Turner, endure the brutal conditions of Nickel Academy, a reformatory for boys. While Turner teaches survival through cynicism, Elwood clings to his belief in justice, despite the horrors around them. Their friendship offers a glimmer of hope amidst a backdrop of systemic racism and violence.
