How Much Is an Oscar Worth?

Oscar night isn't just about who wins what and who wears what: It's big business for the movie industry, and can mean major boosts or downturns in ticket sales. The average benefit for a Best Picture winner is $17 million in ticket sales, or a 245 percent increase at the box office. Ticket sales for films featuring Best Actress or Best Actor winners also see a major increase, while films that lose out tend to fade from the public eye more quickly. With that in mind, Smart Money has compiled an "investor's guide" to the Academy Awards, tracking the stakes of the companies backing Oscar nominees. While News Corp., which released the $2 billion-grossing Avatar may not need much help, Lion's Gate (which released Precious) is down 29 percent in ticket sales this year, and in spite of nominee Up, Walt Disney is down by 4 percent. Of course, the success of films also determines the ratings success of the ceremony itself, and the upswing of smaller films in recent years may also be to blame for the decline in the show's ratings. "The independents had a lot to gain by taking over the Oscars—but the Oscars had a lot to lose," said one expert.