• Home
  • Latest
  • Coins2Day 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Arts & Entertainment

Oscars 2016: ‘Mad Max’ and ‘Spotlight’ Are the Surprise Upsets

By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 29, 2016, 7:24 AM ET

Warner Bros. And Mad Max: Fury Road walked away from Sunday night as the biggest winners at the 88th Academy Awards—at least, in terms of the movie’s overall awards tally.

Mad Max rode a winning streak in several technical and behind-the-scenes categories to score six Oscar statues last night, though the film ended the night shut out of most of the show’s major categories, such as Best Picture and Best Director.

The movie, from Time Warner’s (TWX) Warner Bros., won awards in categories such as costume and production design, as well as makeup and two sound categories on its way to scoring more total Oscars than any other film Sunday night.

Lost out

But, Mad Max missed out on some of the night’s most high-profile awards, with director George Miller losing out to 20th Century Fox’s (FOX) The Revenant and Alejandro G. Iñárritu in the directing category. The Revenant also won another major award when lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio took home his first-ever Oscar. But, along with an additional award for cinematography, the film only won three Academy Awards on the night despite topping all other films with 12 total nominations.

Best Picture

Meanwhile, Best Picture went to Spotlight—from the independent studio Open Road Films, which is owned by movie theater chains Regal Entertainment Group (RGC) and the Dalian Wanda Group’s AMC Theatres (AMC).

With less than $40 million in domestic box office gross, so far, Spotlight is one of the lowest-grossing Best Picture winners of the past several decades. However, given the potential for a so-called “Oscar bump,” the film about the Boston journalists who uncovered a Catholic Church sex abuse scandal could see an increase in ticket sales following Sunday night’s win.

Mad Max was already among the highest-grossing films in this year’s field of Best Picture nominees, with more than $377 million in global box office. The Revenant was the second-highest grossing film in the group—with more than $400 million in global ticket sales—behind The Martian‘s $624 million.

The Academy Awards aired on Walt Disney’s (DIS) ABC.

About the Author
By Tom Huddleston Jr.
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Coins2Day Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Coins2Day Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Coins2Day Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Coins2Day Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Coins2Day Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Coins2Day Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Coins2Day Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Coins2Day Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Coins2Day Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Coins2Day Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Coins2Day Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Coins2Day Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Coins2Day 500
  • Global 500
  • Coins2Day 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Coins2Day Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Coins2Day Brand Studio
  • Coins2Day Analytics
  • Coins2Day Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Coins2Day
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

newsom
Personal FinanceTaxes
Gavin Newsom literally started his career with funding from a billionaire, but he was also raised by a single mother with 3 jobs
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 15, 2026
18 hours ago
Dante Moore reacts to green and white confetti falling on him.
SuccessSports
An NFL-bound college quarterback just turned down a $50 million payday to stay in school and play another season
By Sasha RogelbergJanuary 15, 2026
1 day ago
Successwork-life balance
Despite a $45 million net worth, Big Bang Theory star Kunal Nayyar still works tough, 16-hour days—he repeats this mantra when he’s overwhelmed
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJanuary 15, 2026
1 day ago
Academy Award-winning actress Zoe Saldaña
SuccessMillionaires
Zoe Saldaña has been crowned the highest-grossing actor, with a $15.5 billion Hollywood portfolio—beating Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson to the top spot
By Emma BurleighJanuary 14, 2026
2 days ago
louvre
Europetourism
Your ticket to the Louvre just went up 45%. Here’s what to know for your next Paris trip
By Thomas Adamson and The Associated PressJanuary 14, 2026
2 days ago
adams
PoliticsObituary
Scott Adams, Dilbert creator who went from cubicle wars to culture wars, posts open letter to time with his death at 68
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 13, 2026
3 days ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Europe
Americans have been quietly plundering Greenland for over 100 years, since a Navy officer chipped fragments off the Cape York iron meteorite
By Paul Bierman and The ConversationJanuary 14, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Peter Thiel makes his biggest donation in years to help defeat California’s billionaire wealth tax
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 14, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Health
The head of marketing at Slate posted on LinkedIn requesting cleaning services as a benefit at her company. The next day, HR answered her call
By Sydney LakeJanuary 15, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
California's wealth tax doesn't fix the real problem: Cash-poor billionaires who borrow money, tax-free, to live on
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 14, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
One year after Bill Gates surprised with the choice to close his foundation by 2045, he's cutting staff jobs
By Stephanie Beasley and The Associated PressJanuary 14, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Despite a $45 million net worth, Big Bang Theory star Kunal Nayyar still works tough, 16-hour days—he repeats this mantra when he's overwhelmed
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJanuary 15, 2026
1 day ago

© 2025 Coins2Day Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Coins2Day Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.