And the Oscar for Profitability Goes to … ‘The Martian’
Experts help THR analyze the financial forecast for 'Spotlight' and the seven other best picture noms, factoring in budgets, marketing and awards campaign spending.

This story first appeared in the March 18 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine,click here to subscribe.
Tom McCarthy’sSpotlight may havewon the Oscar for best picture at Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony, butThe Martian walked away with another kind of gold.
That’s according toThe Hollywood Reporter‘s analysis of the financial performance of victorSpotlight and the seven best-picture nominees, including Ridley Scott’sThe Martian.
See below for which movies will turn a profit, or lose money. Production budgets hardly tell the whole story, since there are all sorts of hidden costs, including marketing and money spent on award campaigns.THR relied on several experts to compare total expenses against box-office returns and ancillary revenue from home entertainment and television.
In some cases, the movies were made and financed independently, such asRoom, meaning their U.S. distributor won’t necessarily incur the loss.

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