The Grid: Box Office King Seldom Wins Top Oscar

(March 8) -- And the winner is ... "The Hurt Locker." Unless, of course, you're talking ticket sales. Then, the winner is "Avatar," which grossed a record $721 million domestically in 2009.

Both films were nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, but while Kathryn Bigelow's Iraq war film was honored with both of those Academy Awards, her former husband James Cameron struck box-office gold with his sci-fi spectacle. "Avatar's" earnings helped push domestic movie ticket sales over the $10 billion mark for the first time last year.

The chart below traces the top-grossing films over the past two decades. There have been some dramatic differences from year to year, with "Toy Story" making a relative paltry $192 million in 1995 and "Titanic" -- Cameron's previous record-setting blockbuster -- hauling in $601 million two years later.

The films that win Best Picture Oscars are rarely the same ones that make the most money. It's happened only three times since 1989: "Forrest Gump" in 1994, "Titanic" in 1997 and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" in 2003.

"The Hurt Locker" has pulled in less than $13 million so far, making it the lowest-grossing Best Picture winner of the modern era, according to The Associated Press.

Source:Box Office Mojo 2009 Yearly Box Office Results

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