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Academy Awards: Which Best Picture nominee won at the box office?

6. 'The Artist'

The Weinstein Company/Reuters/Handout/File
Jean Dujardin plays George Valentin and Berenice Bejo plays Peppy Miller in a scene from the film 'The Artist' in this undated publicity photograph. Valentin and Bejo are nominated for lead actor and lead actress, respectively, at the 84th Annual Academy Awards.

  • By Schuyler Velasco Correspondent

Budget: $15 million

Release date: Nov. 25, 2011

Box office gross: $73,262,370  

Profit: $58,262,370

Of the nominees, "The Artist" was the cheapest film to make, and has earned back nearly five times its $15 million budget. Nominated for the most Oscars, at 10, the black and white, (mostly) silent film is widely considered a lock to win Best Picture. Not bad for a little movie that made $200,000 in its opening weekend.

Fun "The Artist" fact: Uggie, the film's Jack Russell terrier star, won the 2012 "Palm Dog" award for his work on "The Artist." Established in 2001, the award is given to the top performance by a canine or a group of canines (real or animated) during the Cannes Film Festival. Past winners include Lucy from "Wendy and Lucy," and Dug, the animated talking Golden Retriever from "Up." Uggie's  other film credits include "Like Water for Elelphants" (2011) and "Work It" (2006).

Despite getting all the credit and attending all the red carpet events for the film, Uggie was actually one of three matching Jack Ruessells who worked on "The Artist," though he did the majority of the scenes.

 

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Mark Sappenfield
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