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The Fighter, the true story of a boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts, is also doing respectably at the box office. Before the film was released, there was skepticism from plenty of corners about whether or not this would be another Million Dollar Baby or something akin to Rocky Balboa (as in, the last Rocky movie, not the first one). What’s more, the film’s director, David O. Russell, is not beloved within Hollywood, due to some fractious relationships he’s had with past collaborators, including George Clooney. However, the film’s uplifting story and remarkable performances, from Christian Bale and Amy Adams, has helped it become something of a dark horse in the race, potentially being able to steal away the Oscar from The King’s Speech and The Social Network. As of the end of the Christmas weekend, The Fighter has also closed in on $30 million, also making up its budget. Crowd-pleasers can come in small and large types, and The Fighter seems to be a mix of both.

The other big Christmas release that’s looking to get Oscar nominations is True Grit, the remake of the 1969 John Wayne Western that garnered the Duke an Oscar for his performance as Rooster Cogburn. As we’ve discussed earlier this year, any movie from Joel and Ethan Coen should be considered an automatic Oscar contender. Add Matt Damon, Josh Brolin and recent winner Jeff Bridges to the mix, and you’re almost guaranteed a slot. Now that the film has opened to rave reviews, the box office was about all the film needed to be thought of as a lock. Well, as much as I hate offering guarantees, consider this one as close as you get. Over the five-day weekend, True Grit made over $35 million, making it the highest-grossing opening weekend for any Coen film, and potentially the beginning of their first $100 million grosser.

For today’s column, there’s but one film left to look at. The follow-up to Slumdog Millionaire, the 2008 Best Picture winner, from the director and writer of the film should be just as close of a lock for this year, right? You’d think so, but 127 Hours, co-written and directed by Danny Boyle, is struggling to stay afloat at the box office. The true story of Aron Rolston, a hiker who got his right arm stuck in a boulder with only the one, gruesome way out has made just about $10 million at the box office since opening at the beginning of November. While James Franco - one of this year’s Oscar hosts, a fact that gets weirder each time I think about it - is likely a shoo-in to get a Best Actor nomination, the movie may not be so lucky.

Why is 127 Hours doing so poorly at the box office? Boyle’s films aren’t always going to make big money, but he clearly knows how to please mass audiences. The issue remains what it’s remained since the beginning: do you want to watch a movie that climaxes in a man - spoiler alert for…well, real life - who cuts off his arm with a penknife? Having seen the film and being a pretty wimpy moviegoer when it comes to gore, I can tell you that I had no problem with the climactic scene, and was kind of shocked that it took up so little of the film’s relatively short length. But then there are people who just don’t want to watch a movie where you’re stuck in a tight space for 90 minutes. Whatever the reason, too many people just aren’t interested in watching this movie. 127 Hours still has a good shot to be nominated for Best Picture, but don’t be surprised if it’s not on the list of 10 films come the morning of January 25.

Still, the fact that there are 10 nominees opens the field up considerably. Movies such as The Town (which, in this writer’s opinion, was mostly well-done genre filmmaking but nothing great) and Shutter Island have chances to get nominated, while movies including The Social Network, The King’s Speech, Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, and Toy Story 3 are likely getting in no matter what happens over the next four weeks. Ten nominees in the category means there’s a couple of slots open for surprise movies, and box office can help out these films even if it doesn’t guarantee any film a win at the Oscars.

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