Studios Vie for Best-Picture Oscar

The Associated Press

If they had to name the best part of an Oscar nomination - the prestige or the cash - studio bosses would invariably pick the cash. But bragging rights are always a pleasant complement to the box-office boost that the Academy Awards bring to best-picture nominees.

Here's a look at the companies behind Sunday's best-picture contenders and how they've fared in past Oscar races:

'Chocolat'

Disney-owned Miramax has a reputation as the scrappiest of Oscar campaigners; some critics say it buys nominations by blanketing Hollywood trade papers with ads.

That sounds like sour grapes to Miramax co-founder Harvey Weinstein, whose company is a perennial Oscar player.

"It's like the Chicago Bulls or New York Yankees. They keep winning championships. I myself love Michael Jordan, but by the sixth championship I was actually hoping Karl Malone would knock his block off. You get tired of the same people," Weinstein said.

"Chocolat" is Miramax's 11th best-picture nominee. It won for "The English Patient" and "Shakespeare in Love." Past nominees included "Life is Beautiful" and "The Cider House Rules."

'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'

Sony Pictures Classics, the boutique label for Sony, has outdone Miramax in commercial success and industry accolades for a foreign-language film.

Miramax's "Life is Beautiful" grabbed seven Oscar nominations; "Crouching Tiger" has 10. The weekend before last month's nominations, "Crouching Tiger" passed "Life is Beautiful" as the highest-grossing foreign-language flick ever domestically. "Crouching Tiger" topped $100 million last weekend.

It's the second best-picture nomination for Sony Pictures Classics, after "Howard's End" from 1992. That year, the company had 11 nominations between "Howard's End" and "Indochine"; this year, it has 12 between "Crouching Tiger" and "Pollock."

"This is the biggest year for us," said Michael Barker, Sony Pictures Classics co-president.

'Erin Brockovich'

Two studios with long Oscar track records, Universal and Sony's Columbia Pictures, combined to produce "Erin Brockovich."

The domestic distribution, and therefore the film's Oscar campaign, fell to Universal. Sony handled "Erin Brockovich's" distribution overseas.

Columbia has had 49 previous best-picture nominations. Its films have won 12 times, most recently "The Last Emperor" in 1987 and "Gandhi" in 1982. Other Columbia best-picture recipients include "It Happened One Night," "From Here to Eternity," "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Oliver!"

With part ownership of "Erin Brockovich" and "Gladiator," Universal brings its total best-picture nominations to 27. Its last win was for "Schindler's List" in 1993. Its other best-picture winners include "All Quiet on the Western Front," "The Sting" and "Out of Africa."

'Gladiator'

Hollywood's new kid on the block, DreamWorks, has quickly become a big factor at the Oscars.

The studio founded six years ago by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen has had best-picture nominations for three years running: "Saving Private Ryan," last year's winner "American Beauty" and now "Gladiator."

With 12 nominations for "Gladiator" and eight last year for "American Beauty," it's the second straight year DreamWorks has had the picture with the most nods.

"We've certainly been blessed in that regard. This is definitely our richest year," said Terry Press, marketing chief for DreamWorks, whose other Oscar nominations include four for "Almost Famous" and two for "The Contender."

With domestic distribution on "Gladiator," DreamWorks handled the movie's Oscar campaign. Co-producer Universal handled foreign distribution.

'Traffic'

USA Films, formed two years ago, technically earned its first best-picture nomination with "Traffic." But two of its predecessor companies, Gramercy Pictures and October Films, grabbed a total of four best-picture nods in the 1990s with "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Fargo," "Secrets & Lies" and "Elizabeth."

In 1999, media mogul Barry Diller formed USA Films by buying Gramercy and October, plus part of Polygram's film business, from Seagram.

Diller is principal owner, though Seagram subsidiary Universal - now part of Vivendi Universal - retained a large stake in USA Films.

The company has quickly established itself as a solid producer of independent commercial and artistic successes. Besides "Traffic," which has hit $100 million domestically, USA Films has released "Being John Malkovich," "Nurse Betty," "Pitch Black" and "Topsy-Turvy."

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