CNN reported Jan. 30 that the annual Oscar nominations spurred studios to begin spending money in order to lobby for votes. Oscar campaigning was compared to the 2012 GOP nominating process for president of the United States. Movie studios spend millions of dollars every year trying to get members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to vote for a particular piece.
Here's a look at some of the staggering numbers behind Oscar campaigns.
$100 million: The amount estimated to be spent every year by movie studios to try to get Oscar wins. The money spent begins even before films are nominated because even the nominations are chosen by a select few in the Academy.
$2 million: The amount of money roughly spent per film to try to get nominated in categories such as Best Picture. The costs go beyond just sending a copy of the DVD in the mail. Elaborate packaging, publicists, and parties hosted by studios drive up costs.
$25,000: The cost of a full-page advertisement in magazines such as The Hollywood Reporter. Advertising budgets for particular films can run up to $1 million. Other common advertisements include video billboards in southern California and New York, where movie studio executives live and work.
1,900: The number of words written in the Huffington Post by Harvey Weinstein, according to Vanity Fair. Weinstein was touting how the movie "My Week With Marilyn " was made. The movie earned two Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. "My Week With Marilyn" is now going into wide release thanks to Oscar buzz, according to Digital Spy. That expansion into 600 more theaters happens Feb. 24, two days before the awards show. Having Academy Award potential has the good fortune of possibly making more money for movies.
$5 million: The total bill behind the Oscar campaign for "The Hurt Locker" in 2010. Before the Oscar buzz, the movie made just $14.7 million at the box office. It sold more than $31 million in DVDs thanks to winning the Best Picture category over box office juggernaut "Avatar."
Check out coverage of the 84th Academy Awards on Yahoo! Movies