Star Sandra Bullock is up for Best Actress honors for her role in Gravity. Source: Warner Bros.
Gravity isn't just an Oscar favorite. Alfonso Cuaron's epic tale of surviving a disaster in space is also shaping up to be one of the most profitable Rule Breakers in Hollywood history. Fool contributor Tim Beyers explains the benefits for distributor Time Warner (TWX) in the following video.
Starring Sandra Bullock as the struggling sole survivor of a horrific accident in orbit, Box Office Mojo places Gravity in its "Disaster" category alongside such films as Paramount's Titanic (1997), Twenty-First Century Fox's Independence Day (1996), and Warner's Twister (1996). While there's no chance of Gravity equalling Titanic's 11 Oscars, the film could take home as many as 10 statues in the following categories:
* Best Picture
* Best Director (Alfonso Cuaron)
* Best Actress (Sandra Bullock)
* Best Achievement in Editing
* Best Achievement in Cinematography
* Best Achievement in Art Direction
* Best Achievement in Visual Effects
* Best Achievement in Sound
* Best Achievement in Sound Editing
* Best Original Score
Odds favor at least a few wins. In the meantime, it's worth noting that Gravity has grossed $703.9 million at the worldwide box office over more than 20 weeks in theaters. Word of mouth and premium IMAX (IMAX 0.45%) showings seem to be driving interest, especially since only 4.9% of the film's $269.5 million in U.S. sales came after the Academy added Gravity to its list of "Best Picture" nominees.
Not that the film needed the tailwind. Cuaron's worked his magic with a $100 million budget. Figuring another $100 million for marketing and distribution puts box-office break-even at $200 million. Gravity appears to have already collected at least $350 million in profit after factoring in cinemas' 50% cut of theater ticket sales. An out-of-this-world performance Warner and investors can be proud of, Tim says.
Now it's your turn to weigh in. How do you rate Gravity's chances at the Oscars? Did you see the film? Please watch the video to get Tim's full take and then leave a comment to let us know where you stand, and whether you would buy, sell, or short Time Warner stock at current prices.
