Oscar Winning Movies: Top 15 Best Picture Winners of all Time, Ranked

These are the top 15 Oscar-winning films you must not miss.

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The Academy Awards, usually called the Oscars, are honours given to the international cinema industries for technical and artistic achievement. The honours are recognized as the most coveted and significant in the entertainment industry on a global scale. Every year, hundreds of movies are up for Academy Awards. Only 32 movies have garnered five or more awards as of 2022. They include Schindler’s List, The Godfather Part II, and Star wars, regarded as classic films, whereas many Oscar-winning movies have fallen into obscurity. Today, we’ll look at the top 15 Oscar-winning films you must not miss.

Top Oscar-Winning Movies of All Time

Movie Name IMDb RATING Release Date
Forrest Gump (1994) 8.8 6 July 1994
The Godfather Part II (1974) 9 20 December 1974
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 9 6 February 2004
Schindler’s List (1993) 9 4 February 1994
Titanic (1997) 7.9 19 December 1997
Gone With The Wind (1939) 8.2 17 January 1940
Ben-Hur (1959) 8.1 18 November 1959
Parasite 8.5 30 May 2019
The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) 8.6 14 February 1991
Slumdog millionaire 8 23 January 2009
Avatar (2009) 7.8 18 December 2009
No Time to Die (2021) 7.3 30 September 2021
Summer of Soul (2021) 8 June 25, 2021
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) 7.4 19 november 1975
Rocky (1976) 7.9 November 21, 1976

Forrest Gump (1994)

Low IQ Forrest Gump joins forces and meets Bubba and Dan there. He can’t help but think of Jenny Curran, his boyhood sweetheart, whose life is in disarray. Characters that are societal outcasts are made to be lovable in Forrest Gump. Even though most of us will never face those difficulties, we may identify with his emotions and experience. How do we prove this connection? Forrest Gump plays a character in the movie that is much like us. Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Visual Effects, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing were among the six Academy Awards given to Forrest Gump.


Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field

Release Date: 6 July 1994

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

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The Godfather Part II (1974)

Spoiler-free: Vito Corleone’s son, Michael, seeks to expand his family’s criminal empire. When he strikes a business deal with a gangster, Hyman Roth, he is unaware of the dangers he will face. The legendary directorial by Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather Part II surpasses every expectation with excellent performances. The Godfather: Part II is one of the best sequels in film history, and the Academy recognized it with an Oscar for Best Picture in 1975. Academy Awards for Best Director, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, and Best Production Design are other academy awards.

Cast: Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, Robert De Niro

Release Date: 20 December 1974 

Where to watch: Netflix

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

For the decisive conflict, the former Alliance of the Ring gets ready. Sam and Frodo persuade Mount Doom to annihilate the One Ring. They are oblivious to Gollum’s motives as they follow him. This movie franchise is not only the greatest fantasy movie franchise ever; it is also the most popular movie franchise in cinematic history and one of the greatest movie franchises. At the 76th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) won all 11 Oscars. The king’s return was the recipient of all 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Art Direction, Best Director, Best Sound Mixing, Best writing  Best Music (Original Score), and Best Original song.

Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Karl Urban, John Noble, Andy Serkis, Ian Holm, and Sean Bean.

Release Date: 6 February 2004

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Schindler’s List (1993)

Oskar Schindler, a Nazi Party supporter, and German entrepreneur, attempts to save his Jewish workers after seeing Jews being persecuted in Poland. Unquestionably, the greatest Holocaust film of all time is Schindler’s List. No other movie has been as excellent as Schindler’s List in capturing the genuine horrors of the Holocaust. The film received 12 Academy Award nominations and took home seven of them: Best Picture and Best Director. In addition to Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Original Score, it received 12 Academy Awards nominations and took home seven of them. Numerous more accolades were given to the movie, including three Golden Globes and seven BAFTAs.

Cast: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall

Release Date: 4 February 1994

Where to watch: Netflix

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Titanic (1997)

Rose, a young woman from an upper-class family who is seventeen years old, marries. She meets Jack Dawson, an artist while sailing aboard the Titanic, and they fall in love. It is a masterfully produced, intelligently constructed, powerfully acted work of art. After Ben-Hur, it was the 2nd movie to get 11 Oscar nominations (1959). Titanic received 11 honours at the 70th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Art Direction, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Original Original Song.

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates

Release Date: 19 December 1997

Where to watch: Disney + Hotstar

Gone With The Wind (1939)

The crafty woman and the cunning man share a turbulent love affair in South America during the American Civil War and Reconstruction in this American classic. The David O. Selznick-produced film took home eight prestigious Oscars, including best picture, best actress for Leigh, best director for Victor Fleming, and best supporting actress for McDaniel—the first Black person to ever win an Oscar. Behind “Citizen Kane,” “Casablanca,” and “The Godfather,” “Gone with the Wind” is regarded as the fourth greatest American movie of all time by the American Film Institute.

Cast: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland

Release Date: 17 January 1940

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Ben-Hur (1959)

Judah Nobleman Ben-Hur is found guilty of trachery by his adopted brother Messel and condemned to years of slavery. He comes back, though, and engages in a race with him to exact retribution. Despite having a duration of about three and a half hours, the picture, which had a large budget of $15 million, was a huge success. 11 Academy Awards are given to “Ben-Hur,” including those for Best Actor, Best Production Design, Best Picture, Best Costume Design, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Director, Best Sound Mixing, Best Visual Effects, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Cast: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Stephen Boyd, Hugh Griffith

Release Date: 18 November 1959

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Parasite

The son’s employment with the Park family presents a chance for the struggling Kim family. They all quickly figure out how to coexist in one household and live parasitic lives. The movie explores our society and the invisible divide between the rich and the poor. Everything starting from the first scene forward, will keep you captivated and booked, from amazing directing to great performances.

Oscars for Best Director, Best Production Design, Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, and Best Original Screenplay go to Parasite. It also wins awards for Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.

Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-Kyun, Cho Yeo-Jeong, Choi Woo-Shik

Release Date: 30 May 2019

Where to watch: Netflix, Disney +Hotstar

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The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Clarice Starling, an FBI agent, asks former doctor and psychopath Hannibal Lecter for assistance in tracking down a new murderer who targets women. The 1991 release of the movie brought in $272.7 million in total on a $19 million budget. On their list of the 500 greatest films ever made, Empire placed it 48th in 2018. The movie took home all five of the major Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (Demme), Best Actress (Foster), Best Actor (Hopkins), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally).

Cast: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine

Release Date: 14 February 1991

Where to watch: Netflix

Avatar (2009)

Jake, a paraplegic, takes the place of his twin on a business assignment to the Na’vi-inhabited planet of Pandora. The locals there embrace him, but he must choose who he can be honest with. Avatar had not only cutting-edge technology but also featured several pertinent issues. Avatar is a must-see film for audiences of all ages due to its outstanding visuals and stellar acting. Avatar was nominated for nine awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and took home the 82nd Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects, and Best Cinematography.

Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver, Joel David Moore

Release Date: December 10, 2009,

Where to watch: Vudu, Google Play

Slumdog Millionaire

A teen from the Mumbai slums entered the competition “Kaun Banega Crorepati” (similar to Amitabh’s KBC program). He recounts his background while being questioned about possible fraud, revealing how he has all the answers. Best Picture,  Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Editing were among the eight Academy Awards that the movie won. The movie shows how most individuals lack access to education, are coerced into a life of crime, and much more. It features an excellent cast and a well-done plot, from infant to adult.

Cast: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan

Release Date: 23 January 2009

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

No Time to Die (2021)

No Time to Die is a 2021 spy movie and the twenty-fifth installment in the James Bond franchise. It was made by Eon Productions and starred Daniel Craig in his fifth and last James Bond performance. The screenplay was written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Cary Joji Fukunaga, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and it was directed by Fukunaga. In No Time to Die, Bond has left MI6’s active service and is hired by the CIA to locate a scientist who has been abducted, which results in a confrontation with a formidable foe.

Cast: Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Rory Kinnear and Ralph Fiennes

Release Date: 30 September 2021

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Summer of Soul (2021)

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s 2021 American documentary, Summer of Soul (..Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), is about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. It is Thompson’s first attempt at directing. On January 28, 2021, it made its international premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, taking both the audience and grand jury prizes for best documentaries. On June 25, 2021, Searchlight Pictures launched it in select theatres in the United States. The following weekend, it was expanded and available for streaming on Hulu. The film was praised by critics, who gave special attention to the footage’s restoration.

Cast: Dorinda Drake, Barbara Bland-Acosta, Darryl Lewis, Ethel Beatty, Al Sharpton, Allen Zerkin, Margot Edman, Alan Leeds

Release Date: June 25, 2021,

Where to watch: Disney +Hotstar

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

The movie version of Ken Kesey’s book by Miles Forman is a classic for a reason. Jack Nicholson portrays Randle McMurphy, a wisecracking con guy who bluffs his way into a mental hospital to avoid a long prison term, in his best performance. He rebels against the apparatus commanded by the wicked Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher) and makes friends with a wide range of people there, including a young Christopher Lloyd. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest will elevate your spirits and tear your heart in equal quantities, and the fact that it does both masterfully warrants all of the accolades bestowed upon it.

Cast: Will Sampson, Danny DeVito, Sydney Lassick, William Redfield, Christopher Lloyd, and Brad Dourif

Release Date: 19 November 1975

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video

Rocky (1976)

His breakthrough part in Rocky was written by Sylvester Stallone. He rose like the Philadelphia underdog who aspires to fight for the heavyweight title, just like his on-screen counterpart.

Rocky earned $225 million, making it the highest-grossing movie of the year and Sylvester Stallone a household name. You can’t help but root for Rocky to win that title because of his drive to succeed and his ambitious air punch at the top of the gallery steps.

Cast:  Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith.

Release Date: November 21, 1976

Where to watch: Netflix

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