Two blockbusters were nominated for the 1973 Best Picture Oscar: William Friedkin's horror thriller, “The Exorcist,” and George Roy Hill's adventure-comedy, “The Sting,” which won. Both films were released at Christmas, the prime time movie-going season.
In its first fourteen weeks, “The Exorcist” had a clear lead, grossing close to $53 million, while “The Sting” followed with $30 million.
However, in the first eight weeks after the Oscar Awards, “The Sting” doubled its pre-award pace and made $31 million, whereas “The Exorcist” made $12 million dollars more.
The difference between the box-office status of these two movies can be credited to The Sting's win of multiple Oscars, which eventually helped making it one of the all-time box-office champions.
