The Movie That Won Best Picture Every Year at the Oscars

Published: February 16, 2024 by Colman Andrews

The highest honor awarded annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the Oscar for Best Picture, presented to the producer or producers of the film that presumably represents the ultimate cinematic achievement of the year. It is also the only prize on which the entire membership of the Academy can vote.

While the top motion picture of a given eligibility period has been singled out since the first Academy Awards, held in 1929 at L.A.’s Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, however, the first Oscar called simply “Best Picture” dates only from 1962.

The 1929 Academy Awards actually gave top honors to two different movies, both with musical soundtracks but no audible dialogue, making them sound-silent hybrids. They were categorized differently. The World War I romance “Wings” was named Outstanding Picture that year, while the expressionistic art film “Sunrise” won the award for Unique and Artistic Picture. The following year, the Academy dropped the latter category and retroactively dubbed “Wings” the sole winner.

From that time until 1940, the award was known as Outstanding Production. Then, for two years, it was Outstanding Motion Picture, before morphing into Best Motion Picture. The “Motion” was edited out in 1962 – the year the first “Best Picture” Oscar was given. (Along the way, there have been some memorable flubs. Here’s a list of movies that lost the Oscar for Best Picture to a lower-rated film.)

To determine the Best Picture winner – under whatever name – from every year since the beginning of the Academy Awards, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data from the Academy Awards Database. Supplemental data on IMDb user ratings and Rotten Tomatoes audience and Tomatometer scores are current as of mid-February 2024. Years given are those of the eligibility period considered or the film’s release, not of the Academy Awards ceremony.

You’ll find such cinematic landmarks as “Gone With the Wind,” “Casablanca,” “All About Eve,” “On the Waterfront,” “Lawrence of Arabia,” and “The Godfather” on this list, along with directing legends including Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Billy Wilder, David Lean, Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Steven Spielberg.

On the other hand, equally memorable films like “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “Citizen Kane,” “The Shining,” “Psycho,” “Star Wars,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “Pulp Fiction” didn’t get the nod, and you’ll look in vain for such esteemed filmmakers as Charlie Chaplin, Ingmar Bergman, Stanley Kubrick, Quentin Tarantino, or Spike Lee. Maybe if there were still a Unique and Artistic Picture award, some of them would have scored.

Scroll below to see who won Best Picture every year at the Oscars.

1st Academy Awards (1927/28): Wings

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (12,269 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (3,550 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (59 reviews)
Directed by: William A. Wellman and Harry d’Abbadie d’Arrast (uncredited)

2nd Academy Awards (1928/29): The Broadway Melody

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

IMDb user rating: 5.7/10 (6,910 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 21% (1,823 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 33% (24 reviews)
Directed by: Harry Beaumont

3rd Academy Awards (1929/30): All Quiet on the Western Front

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (59,343 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (18,059 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (81 reviews)
Directed by: Lewis Milestone

4th Academy Awards (1930/31): Cimarron

Source: Courtesy of Warner Home Video

IMDb user rating: 5.9/10 (5,881 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 25% (1,521 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 52% (29 reviews)
Directed by: Wesley Ruggles

5th Academy Awards (1931/32): Grand Hotel

Source: Hulton Archive / Archive Photos via Getty Images

1932: American actress Joan Crawford (1904 - 1977) sits with her head in her hand as a man reaches to take her champagne glass, in a still from director Edmund Gouldings film, Grand Hotel. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Source: Hulton Archive / Archive Photos via Getty Images

IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (18,375 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (7,036 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (42 reviews)
Directed by: Edmund Goulding

6th Academy Awards (1932/33): Cavalcade

Source: Courtesy of Fox Film Corporation

IMDb user rating: 5.9/10 (4,982 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 26% (1,037 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 64% (33 reviews)
Directed by: Frank Lloyd

7th Academy Awards (1934): It Happened One Night

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (98,815 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (33,748 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (97 reviews)
Directed by: Frank Capra

8th Academy Awards (1935): Mutiny on the Bounty

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (23,465 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (8,083 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (42 reviews)
Directed by: Frank Lloyd

9th Academy Awards (1936): The Great Ziegfeld

Source: Hulton Archive / Archive Photos via Getty Images

IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (8,359 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 50% (2,788 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 64% (36 reviews)
Directed by: Robert Z. Leonard

10th Academy Awards (1937): The Life of Emile Zola

Source: Hulton Archive / Moviepix via Getty Images

IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (8,424 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (2,362 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (34 reviews)
Directed by: William Dieterle

11th Academy Awards (1938): You Can’t Take It with You

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (24,573 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (9,416 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (46 reviews)
Directed by: Frank Capra

12th Academy Awards (1939): Gone with the Wind

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (301,469 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (293,900 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (102 reviews)
Directed by: Victor Fleming

13th Academy Awards (1940): Rebecca

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (131,069 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (39,605 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (94 reviews)
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

14th Academy Awards (1941): How Green Was My Valley

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (22,844 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (7,969 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (47 reviews)
Directed by: John Ford

15th Academy Awards (1942): Mrs. Miniver

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (16,937 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (6,084 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (42 reviews)
Directed by: William Wyler

16th Academy Awards (1943): Casablanca

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (542,975 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (357,759 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (124 reviews)
Directed by: Michael Curtiz

17th Academy Awards (1944): Going My Way

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (11,237 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (5,796 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (31 reviews)
Directed by: Leo McCarey

18th Academy Awards (1945): The Lost Weekend

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (35,404 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (8,890 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (45 reviews)
Directed by: Billy Wilder

19th Academy Awards (1946): The Best Years of Our Lives

Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (60,985 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (10,855 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (91 reviews)
Directed by: William Wyler

20th Academy Awards (1947): Gentleman’s Agreement

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (15,646 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (5,640 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (45 reviews)
Directed by: Elia Kazan

21st Academy Awards (1948): Hamlet

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (17,294 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (5,000 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (48 reviews)
Directed by: Laurence Olivier

22nd Academy Awards (1949): All the King’s Men

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (14,335 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (4,880 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (43 reviews)
Directed by: Robert Rossen

23rd Academy Awards (1950): All About Eve

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (125,888 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (45,297 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (103 reviews)
Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz

24th Academy Awards (1951): An American in Paris

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (32,085 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (26,481 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (94 reviews)
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli

25th Academy Awards (1952): The Greatest Show on Earth

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (13,865 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54% (6,209 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 48% (40 reviews)
Directed by: Cecil B. DeMille

26th Academy Awards (1953): From Here to Eternity

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (45,202 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (14,909 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (62 reviews)
Directed by: Fred Zinnemann

27th Academy Awards (1954): On the Waterfront

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (148,492 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (52,268 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (105 reviews)
Directed by: Elia Kazan

28th Academy Awards (1955): Marty

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (23,015 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (6,787 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (42 reviews)
Directed by: Delbert Mann

29th Academy Awards (1956): Around the World in 80 Days

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (26,110 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 57% (33,457 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 69% (42 reviews)
Directed by: Michael Anderson

30th Academy Awards (1957): The Bridge on the River Kwai

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (211,273 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (54,763 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (61 reviews)
Directed by: David Lean

31st Academy Awards (1958): Gigi

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (21,886 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (20,998 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (37 reviews)
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli

32nd Academy Awards (1959): Ben-Hur

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Source: Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

IMDb user rating:

8.1/10 (228,610 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (106,248 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (51 reviews)
Directed by: William Wyler

33rd Academy Awards (1960): The Apartment

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (172,183 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (38,259 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (72 reviews)
Directed by: Billy Wilder

34th Academy Awards (1961): West Side Story

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (101,722 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (169,051 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (79 reviews)
Directed by: Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise

35th Academy Awards (1962): Lawrence of Arabia

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (296,218 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (50,000 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (132 reviews)
Directed by: David Lean

36th Academy Awards (1963): Tom Jones

Source: Courtesy of Lopert Pictures Corporation

IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (13,326 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 58% (5,000 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 80% (41 reviews)
Directed by: Tony Richardson

37th Academy Awards (1964): My Fair Lady

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (90,701 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (187,112 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (61 reviews)
Directed by: George Cukor

38th Academy Awards (1965): The Sound of Music

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (215,991 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (606,531 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (71 reviews)
Directed by: Robert Wise

39th Academy Awards (1966): A Man for All Seasons

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (35,132 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (5,000 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (81 reviews)
Directed by: Fred Zinnemann

40th Academy Awards (1967): In the Heat of the Night

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (70,923 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (23,226 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (55 reviews)
Directed by: Norman Jewison

41st Academy Awards (1968): Oliver!

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (39,174 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (50,000 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (76 reviews)
Directed by: Carol Reed

42nd Academy Awards (1969): Midnight Cowboy

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (106,459 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (40,059 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (78 reviews)
Directed by: John Schlesinger

43rd Academy Awards (1970): Patton

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (103,341 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (43,344 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (49 reviews)
Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner

44th Academy Awards (1971): The French Connection

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (124,768 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (44,428 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (83 reviews)
Directed by: William Friedkin

45th Academy Awards (1972): The Godfather

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

IMDb user rating: 9.2/10 (1,704,373 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 98% (734,439 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (133 reviews)
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

46th Academy Awards (1973): The Sting

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (250,672 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (61,793 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (63 reviews)
Directed by: George Roy Hill

47th Academy Awards (1974): The Godfather: Part II

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

IMDb user rating: 9.0/10 (1,183,912 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97% (411,793 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (114 reviews)
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

48th Academy Awards (1975): One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

IMDb user rating: 8.7/10 (954,220 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (279,963 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (83 reviews)
Directed by: Miloš Forman

49th Academy Awards (1976): Rocky

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (539,768 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (33,403,994 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (67 reviews)
Directed by: John G. Avildsen

50th Academy Awards (1977): Annie Hall

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (258,110 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (153,824 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (84 reviews)
Directed by: Woody Allen

51st Academy Awards (1978): The Deer Hunter

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (324,627 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (103,588 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (78 reviews)
Directed by: Michael Cimino

52nd Academy Awards (1979): Kramer vs. Kramer

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (139,028 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (43,532 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (52 reviews)
Directed by: Robert Benton

53rd Academy Awards (1980): Ordinary People

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (49,514 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (23,252 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (55 reviews)
Directed by: Robert Redford

54th Academy Awards (1981): Chariots of Fire

Source: Courtesy of The Ladd Company

IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (61,896 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (25,000 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (113 reviews)
Directed by: Hugh Hudson

55th Academy Awards (1982): Gandhi

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (233,479 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (49,867 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (62 reviews)
Directed by: Richard Attenborough

56th Academy Awards (1983): Terms of Endearment

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (57,738 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (36,375 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (54 reviews)
Directed by: James L. Brooks

57th Academy Awards (1984): Amadeus

Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (403,732 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (180,242 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (100 reviews)
Directed by: Miloš Forman

58th Academy Awards (1985): Out of Africa

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (81,162 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (40,375 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 62% (87 reviews)
Directed by: Sydney Pollack

59th Academy Awards (1986): Platoon

Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (395,356 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (240,012 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (69 reviews)
Directed by: Oliver Stone

60th Academy Awards (1987): The Last Emperor

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (104,898 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (25,000 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (119 reviews)
Directed by: Bernardo Bertolucci

61st Academy Awards (1988): Rain Man

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (490,155 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (314,261 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (80 reviews)
Directed by: Barry Levinson

62nd Academy Awards (1989): Driving Miss Daisy

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (105,134 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (53,773 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (65 reviews)
Directed by: Bruce Beresford

63rd Academy Awards (1990): Dances with Wolves

Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (250,448 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (213,805 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (76 reviews)
Directed by: Kevin Costner

64th Academy Awards (1991): The Silence of the Lambs

Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.6/10 (1,332,128 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (847,443 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (104 reviews)
Directed by: Jonathan Demme

65th Academy Awards (1992): Unforgiven

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (391,927 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (122,861 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (106 reviews)
Directed by: Clint Eastwood

66th Academy Awards (1993): Schindler’s List

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

IMDb user rating: 9.0/10 (1,359,268 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97% (411,879 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (128 reviews)
Directed by: Steven Spielberg

67th Academy Awards (1994): Forrest Gump

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.8/10 (1,905,676 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (1,244,237 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 71% (104 reviews)
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

68th Academy Awards (1995): Braveheart

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (1,041,328 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (32,708,456 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (84 reviews)
Directed by: Mel Gibson

69th Academy Awards (1996): The English Patient

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (184,116 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (81,769 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (89 reviews)
Directed by: Anthony Minghella

70th Academy Awards (1997): Titanic

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (1,181,693 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (35,797,635 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (193 reviews)
Directed by: James Cameron

71st Academy Awards (1998): Shakespeare in Love

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (219,028 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (227,053 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (141 reviews)
Directed by: John Madden

72nd Academy Awards (1999): American Beauty

Source: Courtesy of DreamWorks Distribution

IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (1,104,561 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (660,797 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (190 reviews)
Directed by: Sam Mendes

73rd Academy Awards (2000): Gladiator

Source: Courtesy of DreamWorks Distribution

IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,399,053 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (34,128,168 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (201 reviews)
Directed by: Ridley Scott

74th Academy Awards (2001): A Beautiful Mind

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (936,399 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (491,108 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74% (213 reviews)
Directed by: Ron Howard

75th Academy Awards (2002): Chicago

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (232,547 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (439,615 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (258 reviews)
Directed by: Rob Marshall

76th Academy Awards (2003): The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema

IMDb user rating: 8.9/10 (1,710,236 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (34,679,773 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (275 reviews)
Directed by: Peter Jackson

77th Academy Awards (2004): Million Dollar Baby

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (657,818 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (405,182 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (271 reviews)
Directed by: Clint Eastwood

78th Academy Awards (2005): Crash

Source: Courtesy of Lions Gate Films

IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (427,361 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (442,396 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74% (242 reviews)
Directed by: Paul Haggis

79th Academy Awards (2006): The Departed

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,241,061 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (738,191 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (283 reviews)
Directed by: Martin Scorsese

80th Academy Awards (2007): No Country for Old Men

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (900,943 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (399,547 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (288 reviews)
Directed by: Joel and Ethan Coen

81st Academy Awards (2008): Slumdog Millionaire

Source: Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (818,017 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (1,155,878 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (289 reviews)
Directed by: Danny Boyle

82nd Academy Awards (2009): The Hurt Locker

Source: Courtesy of Summit Entertainment

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Summit Entertainment

IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (455,104 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (96,200 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (289 reviews)
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow

83rd Academy Awards (2010): The King’s Speech

Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (683,883 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (144,700 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (298 reviews)
Directed by: Tom Hooper

84th Academy Awards (2011): The Artist

Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (235,905 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (58,691 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (320 reviews)
Directed by: Michel Hazanavicius

85th Academy Awards (2012): Argo

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (617,860 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (208,987 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (359 reviews)
Directed by: Ben Affleck

86th Academy Awards (2013): 12 Years a Slave

Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (704,537 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (140,524 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (373 reviews)
Directed by: Steve McQueen

87th Academy Awards (2014): BIRDMAN or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (601,125 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (93,449 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (355 reviews)
Directed by: Alejandro G. Iñárritu

88th Academy Awards (2015): Spotlight

Source: Courtesy of Open Road Films

IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (473,059 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (70,627 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (375 reviews)
Directed by: Tom McCarthy

89th Academy Awards (2016): Moonlight

Source: Courtesy of A24

IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (288,673 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (45,830 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (392 reviews)
Directed by: Barry Jenkins

90th Academy Awards (2017): The Shape of Water

Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (393,136 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (26,084 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (459 reviews)
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro

91st Academy Awards (2018): Green Book

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

N/A

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (496,895 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (10,494 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (360 reviews)
Directed by: Peter Farrelly

92nd Academy Awards (2019): Parasite

Source: Handout / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (810,722 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (5,000 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (475 reviews)
Directed by: Bong Joon Ho

93rd Academy Awards (2020): Nomadland

Source: Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (126,891 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (573 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (416 reviews)
Directed by: Chloé Zhao

94th Academy Awards (2021): CODA

Source: Courtesy of Apple TV+

IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (136,026 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (1,000 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (291 reviews)
Directed by: Sian Heder

95th Academy Awards (2022): Everything Everywhere All At Once

Source: Courtesy of A24

IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (514,620 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (5,000 reviews)
Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (403 reviews)
Directed by: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert